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ILLINOIS 


State  Geological  Survey 


BULLETIN  NO.  2. 


THE   PETROLEUM   INDUSTRY  OF 
SOUTHEASTERN  ILLINOIS, 


BY 


W.  S.  BLATCHLEY. 


URBAN A: 
University  of  Illinois. 

1906. 


SPRINGFIELD: 
Illinois  State  Journal  Co.,  State  Printers 

1906 


da 


STATE  GEOLOGICAL  COMMISSION. 


GovEENOR  0.  S.  Deneen,  Chairman. 
Professor  T.  C.  Chamberlin,    Vice-Chairman. 
President  Edmund  J.  James,  Secretary. 

H.  Foster  Bain,  Director. 


CONTENTS. 


Page. 

List  of  illustrations 7 

Letter  of  transmittal 9 

Introduction 11 

Nature  and  use  of  petroleum 11 

Definition  of  petroleum 11 

Distribution  of  petroleum 11 

Uses  of  petroleum 12 

Historical 13 

Gas  and  oil  developments  in  Illinois  to  1904 13 

Clark  County 13 

Montgomery  County 13 

Crawford  County 14 

R andolph  County 15 

Illinois  oil  and  gas  fields  on  May  1st,  1906 15 

Petroleum  producing  rocks  in  Illinois 16 

Mansfield  sandstone 16 

Lower  Coal  Measures 17 

Upper  Coal  Measures 19 

General  section 19 

Surface  deposits 20 

Geologic  Structure  of  the  State  (Stuart  Weller) 21 

Origin  of  oil  and  gas 23 

General 23 

Newberry  theory  of  oil  genesis 23 

Hunt  theory  of  oil  genesis 23 

Origin  of  natural  gas 25 

Mode  of  occurrence  of  Illinois  petroleum 25 

Distribution  in  rocks 25 

Conditions  of  accumulation 26 

Porous  stratum 26 

Impervious  cover 27 

Anticlinal  structure 28 

Pressure  behind  the  oil 29 

Accompanying  salt  water 29 

Quantity  of  petroleum  per  acre 30 

Pools  not  necessarily  connected 31 

Dry  holes  and  condemned  territory 31 

Surface  indications 32 


Contents — Concluded. 

Systematic  description  of  the  oil  and  gas  fields 33 

Clark  County 33 

Geology 33 

Oil  wells 38 

First  wells  of  the  present  field 38 

Westfield  Township 39 

Dolson  Township 40 

Parker  Township 40 

Casey  Township 47 

Martinsville  Township 48 

Johnson  Township 50 

Orange  Township 52 

Cumberland  County 54 

Geology.. 54 

Oil  wells 54 

Union  Township 54 

Crooked  Creek  Township 60 

Crawford  County 60 

Geology 60 

Oil  wells 63 

Prairie  Township 63 

Lamotte  Township 65 

Robinson  Township 67 

Oblong  Township 67 

Lawrence  County 72 

Edgar  County 72 

Coles  County 73 

Jasper  County 73 

Clay  County 73 

Williamson  County 73 

Saline  County,  by  F.  F.  Grout 78 

Randolph  County,  by  F.  F.  Grout 74 

Montgomery  County 75 

Pike  County  Gas  Field,  by  T.  E.  Savage 77 

Introduction 77 

Geology  77 

Pleistocene 78 

Coal  Measures 78 

Mississippian 78 

Niagara 79 

Deformation  of  strata 80 

Description  of  the  gas  field 80 

Occurrence  of  the  gas 81 

Development  of  the  field 82 

Description  of  the  wells 83 

Outlook  for  Pike  County  field 87 

Production  of  petroleum  in  Southeastern  Illinois 88 

Choosing  a  locality  for  operating 88 

Usual  terms  of  a  lease 88 

Locating  the  wells 90 

Drilling  rig 90 

Drilling  the  well 91 

Shooting  the  well 91 

Pumping  the  oil 93 

Cost  of  a  producing  well 94 

Cost  of  operating  a  lease 94 

Marketing  the  oil 95 

Output  of  the  Casey  field 95 

Fake  oil  companies 96 

Need  of  accurate  levels 97 

List  of  bench  marks 98 

Quality  and  properties  of  the  Illinois  petroleum,  by  F.  F.  Grout 100 

Index 105 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PLATES. 

Page. 

1.  Map  showing  oil  and  gas  occurrences  in  Illinois  with  principal  lines  of  deformation . .  22 

2.  Map  showing  oil  and  gas  fields  of  southeastern  Illinois 32 

8.    Map  of  the  Clark  county  oil  field 38 

4.  Map  of  the  Crawford  county  oil  field 64 

5.  (a)  Standard  drilling  rig.    (d)  Drilling  machine  used  in  the  northern  part  of  the  field.  90 

6.  (a)  Jack  used  in  pumping  oil.    (/^)  Power  station,  tanks  and  pumping  rods 94 


FIGURES. 

1.  Sketch  map  showing  location  of  oil  and  gas  wells  near  Litchfield 75 

2.  Diagram  showing  depth  of  wells  at  Litchfield 76 

3.  Sketch  showing  location  of  gas  wells  near  Pittsfield 81 


LETTER  OF  TRANSMITTAL. 


State  Geological  Survey, 

University    of    Illinois, 

Urbana,  June  20,  1906. 

To  Governor  0.  S.  Deneen,  and  Members  of  the  Geological  Com- 
mission : 

GrENTLEMEN — I  Submit  herewith  a  report  upon  the  petroleum  in- 
dustry of  southeastern  Illinois,  and  respectfully  recommend  its  publi- 
cation as  a  bulletin  of  the  survey. 

The  discovery  in  1905  of  deposits  of  oil  and  gas  of  commercial 
importance  in  the  eastern  portion  of  the  State  was  in  every  way  a 
fortunate  circumstance.  While  these  materials  have  been  known  to 
occur  at  various  points  in  Illinois,  and,  as  detailed  in  these  pages, 
there  had  been  some  years  ago  developments  of  some  local  importance 
near  Litchfield  and  Sparta,  our  State  was  commonly  believed  to  be 
signally  barren  of  these  important  fuels.  The  first  successful  wells  in 
Clark  county  led  to  rapid  wildcatting  through  Coles,  Cumberland, 
Crawford  and  adjacent  counties,  and  as  one  after  another  successful 
wells  were  brought  in,  explorations  began  in  other  parts  of  the  State. 

As  promptly  as  possible  after  the  organization  of  the  survey  Mr. 
Arthur  W.  Lewis  was  detailed  to  make  a  preliminary  study  of  the 
situation.  In  the  course  of  the  winter  he  made  several  visits  to  the 
principal  fields,  and  collected  such  drill  records  and  other  data  as  cir- 
cumstances permitted.  His  notes  have  been  used  at  a  number  of 
points  in  this  report,  as  indicated  by  Professor  Blatchley.  Sickness 
forced  Mr.  Lewis  to  give  up  the  work,  but  not  before  he  has  published 
at  my  request  a  preliminary  account  of  the  field  in  the  Mining  World 
of  April  14th.  This,  it  is  believed,  was  the  first  description  of  the 
new  fields  published  in  a  technical  journal.  It  stimulated  the  already 
active  development,  and  with  the  coming  of  spring  and  consequent 
improvement  of  the  roads,  drilling  operations  went  forward  rapidly. 
In  the  meantime  arrangements  have  been  made  for  Professor  W.  S. 
Blatchley  of  Indianapolis  to  report  upon  the  field  for  the  Survey. 
Professor  Blatchley's  familarity  with  the  Indiana  oil  and  gas  fields 
and  industry  peculiarly  fitted  him  for  the  task,  and  we  are,  I  think,  to 
be  congratulated  that  he  could  spare  time  for  the  work. 

Professor  Blatchley  visited  the  eastern  Illinois  fields  in  April  and 
May,  and  promptly  wrote  the  accompanying  report  as  a  result  of  his 
work.     The  importance  of  having  numerous  level  lines  throughout 


10  LETTER   OF    TRANSMITTAL.  [bain. 

the  area  in  order  to  properly  correlate  the  various  oil  sands  appeared 
so  great  that  the  report  has  been  held  in  order  to  incorporate  the 
results  of  surveys  made  by  Mr.  E.  M.  fScheflow  and  Mr.  Loren  Digby. 

Taking  advantage  of  this  delay  notes  have  been  collected  on  the 
other  gas  and  oil  fields  of  the  State  so  far  as  time  and  circumstances 
permitted.  The  finished  paper  therefore  includes,  in  addition  to  Pro- 
fessor Blatchley's  report  on  the  eastern  Illinois  fields,  notes  by  Mr. 
Grout  on  the  Saline  and  Randolph  county  developments,  and  by  Mr. 
Savage  upon  the  very  encouraging  gas  field  in  Pike  county.  Scattered 
notes  on  other  counties  have  been  added,  and  Dr.  Stuart  Weller  has 
discussed  the  present  condition  of  our  knowledge  of  the  lines  of 
deformation  within  the  State.  The  importance  of  the  latter  topic  lies 
in  the  circumstance  that  anticlinal  areas  furnish  the  most  favorable 
regions  for  the  accumulation  of  gas  and  oil  if  the  other  conditions  be 
favorable. 

Analyses  of  oil  from  several  points  in  the  State  have  been  made  in 
the  laboratory  of  applied  chemistry  at  the  University,  under  the  direc- 
tion of  Professor  S.  W.  Parr,  by  Mr.  P.  P.  Grout,  assistant  chemist  of 
the  Survey,  and  certain  additional  tests  have  been  made  by  Mr.  J.  W. 
Gill.  These  are  given  in  the  body  of  the  text.  A  careful  analysis  is 
also  given  of  the  salt  water  found  with  the  petroleum  near  Oilfield. 
For  this  we  are  indebted  to  Dr.  Edward  Bartow,  of  the  State  Water 
Survey. 

No  attempt  has  been  made  in  the  present  bulletin  to  note  the  occur 
rence  of  natural  gas  as  it  occurs  in  the  drift  deposits  of  the  State. 
Small  pockets  of  such  gas  are  known  and  in  use  at  a  number  of  points, 
but  their  importance  will  always  be  local. 

The  present  development  is  so  rapid  that  before  this  is  printed 
there  will  doubtless  be  many  discoveries.  No  such  report  can  ever  be 
entirely  complete,  and  it  has  seemed  better  that  this  should  be  issued 
as  promptly  as  possible  in  measurably  complete  form  rather  than  held 
for  more  details.  The  present  report  is  essentially  industrial  in 
character.  There  has  been  neither  time  nor  opportunity  to  work  out 
the  many  interesting  geological  problems  involved,  and,  indeed,  many 
of  them  could  not  be  solved  at  this  time.  It  is  hoped  none  the  less 
that  the  report  will  be  of  service  in  the  additonal  development  of  the 
known  oil  fields  of  the  State  and  in  the  discovery  of  new  ones.  There 
are  many  square  miles  of  untested  territory  in  Illinois,  and  while 
probably  only  a  minor  part  of  the  area  will  prove  productive,  there  is 
room  for  the  discovery  of  many  productive  fields.  There  will  un- 
doubtedly be  important  additional  discoveries,  though  much  drilling 
will  inevitably  end  in  disappointment. 

Respectfully  submitted, 

H.  Foster  Bain, 

Director. 

Unless  otherwise  stated  the  data  upon  which  this  report  is  based 
were  all  collected  prior  to  May  10,  1906. 


THE  PETROLEUM  INDUSTRY    OF  SOUTHEAST- 
ERN ILLINOIS. 


By  W.  S.  Bi.atchley. 


INTRODUCTION 

Nature  and  Use  of  Petroleum. 

Definition  of  petroleum. — Crude  petroleum,  or  "rock  oil",  is  a 
natural  bitunien,  composed  mainly  of  the  combustible  elements,  car- 
bon and  hydrogen.  In  its  most  common  form  it  is  a  brownish-black, 
ill-smelling  liquid,  with  a  specific  gravity  of  about  0.86,  When 
kindled  it  burns  readily  with  a  bright  flame  and  without  leaving  a 
residue.  When  exposed  to  the  atmosphere  it  gives  up  slowly  its 
volatile  gases  and  is,  in  time,  reduced  to  a  thick,  semi-solid,  asphal- 
tum-like  mass.  The  name  petroleum  comes  from  two  Latin  words, 
''petra'^  a  rock,  and  ''oleum''''  oil,  and  in  many  localities  it  is  known 
as  "rock  oil',,  or  simply  "oil." 

Distribution  of  petroleum. — Petroleum  is  widely  distributed 
throughout  the  countries  of  the  world,  and  is  found  in  the  rocks  of 
almost  every  geological  formation,  from  those  of  the  old  Archean 
time  up  to  the  later  members  of  the  Tertiary.  In  some  of  the  older 
countries,  as  India  and  Japan,  it  has  been  known  to  and  used  by  man 
as  a  remedial  agent  for  more  than  2,000  years.  For  many  centuries, 
however,  it  uses  were  few,  its  possibilities  of  furnishing  valuable 
products  by  distillation  not  being  known.  With  the  advancement  in 
the  knowledge  of  chemistry  came  a  better  understanding  of  its  com- 
ponent elements,  and  within  the  past  quarter  of  a  century  it  has  come 
to  be  one  of  the  great  and  necessary  resources  of  modern  industry. 

During  the  year  1904,  the  latest  date  for  which  statistics  are  avail- 
able, the  United  States  produced  117,063,421  barrels  of  petroleum, 
which  brought,  delivered  into  pipe  lines,  $101,170,466.  In  the  same 
year  Russia  produced  78,500,905  barrels.  The  United  States  thus 
not  only  stood  first  in  the  rank  of  petroleum  producing  countries, 
but  produced  more  oil  than  all  the  rest  of  the  world  combined, 
amounting  to  53.4  per  cent  of  the  total  output. 

The  oil  from  the  different  parts  of  the  United  States  varies  much 
in  character  and  grade.  That  from  Pennsylvania,  New  York,  West 
Virginia  and  southeastern  Ohio,  known  as  "Pennsylvania  Oill,"  is  con- 
sidered best  for  making  illuminating  products,  and  brings  the  high- 
est price  on  the  market.  The  "Lima  Oil"  from  the  Trenton  rocks  of 
northwestern  Ohio  and  northeastern  Indiana,  ranks  second  in  grade. 

11 


12  THE   PETROLEUM    INDUSTRY   OF    EASTERN    ILLINOIS.         [bull.  2 

Like  Pennsylvania  oil,  it  possessess  a  paraffine  base,  but  contains  a 
certain  percentage  of  sulphur,  not  found  in  the  former,  and  for  that 
reason  is  more  expensive  to  refine.  The  oils  of  eastern  Illinois,  Kan- 
sas, Colorado  and  Corsicana,  Texas,  have  also  a  paraffine  base,  and 
rank  about  equal  with  the  Lima  oil  in  value.  Most  the  petroleum 
produced  in  Louisiana,  Texas  and  California  has  an  asphaltum  base, 
and  consequently  yields  an  illuminating  oil  of  low  value.  It  is  used 
largely  for  fuel  and  brings  a  much  lower  price  per  barrel  than  the 
oils  with  a  paraffine  base. 

Uses  of  Petroleum. — The  average  person  has  but  little  knowledge 
of  the  many  uses  to  which  crude  petroleum  is  put  or  of  the  variety  of 
products  made  from  it  in  the  great  refineries.  The  most  important 
and  best  known  of  these  products  is,  of  course  the  illuminating  oil 
known  as  kerosene,  or  "coal  oil."  This  oil  has  become  one  of  the 
greatest  adjuncts  of  modern  civilization;  in  fact,  such  a  necessity  of 
daily  life  that  millions  of  inhabitants  of  this  and  other  lands  would 
find  it  difficult  to  do  without.  Besides  kerosene,  all  gasoline,  the  de- 
mand for  which  has  been  largely  increased  in  the  past  few  years,  and 
all  the  benzine  and  naptha  of  commerce  come  over  as  distillates  from 
the  crude  petroleum.  Among  the  solid  products  are  vaseline,  used 
so  extensively  as  an  external  application,  and  paraffine,  the  candles 
of  v^hich  have  almost  wholly  superseded  the  old  tallow  "dip".  Much 
paraffine  is  also  used  in  making  matches ;  as  a  preservative  for  eggs 
and  various  food  stuffs ;  in  laundry  work  as  an  auxiliary  to  soap,  and 
for  many  other  purposes.  Rhigolene,  a  volatile  product  of  crude  pe- 
troleum, is  a  valuable  anesthetic,  particularly  for  local  applications  to 
produce  cold. 

Both  petroleum  products  and  crude  petroleum  are  much  used  in  the 
manufacture  of  artificial  gas.  In  the  making  of  "air  gas",  or  car- 
buretted  air,  gasoline  is  needed,  while  for  "oil  gas"  and  carburetted 
water  gas,  crude  petroleum  is  also  often  used,  the  liquid  hydro-carbon 
of  the  oils  being  converted  into  permanent  gas  of  high  illuminating- 
power.  The  crude  petroleum  is  also  often  used  for  the  enriching  of 
coal  gas,  i.  e.,  for  making  it  of  higher  illuminating  power. 

Mineral  oils  from  petroleum  and  the  crude  product  itself  are  now 
almost  wholly  used  for  lubricating  machinery,  especially  railway  en- 
gines. As  noted  above,  the  poorer  grades  of  crude  petroleum,  es- 
secially  those  of  an  asphaltum  base,  are  extensively  used  as  fuel. 

In  the  words  of  the  superintendent  of  one  of  the  leading  refineries  of 
the  country:  "Practically  nothing  is  now  allowed  to  go  to  waste.  Our 
by-products  are  really  more  valuable  than  the  refined  oil  itself.  Ben- 
zine and  gasoline,  which  were  formerly  not  considered  by  us.  are  now 
very  valuable  commodities.  The  coke  which  results  from  the  burn- 
ing of  crude  oil  was  formerly  dumped  into  the  river;  now  it  is  used  in 
the  manufacture  of  the  carbons  for  electric  lights,  and  we  cannot  get 
enough  of  it.  The  vapors  arising  from  the  oil  are  condensed  and  re- 
condensed,  and  are  added  to  our  list  of  by-products.  In  fact,  nothing 
is  premitted  to  get  away  which  can,  in  any  manner,  shape  or  form,  be 
utilized,  and  this  is  ascertained  by  our  chemists  and  inventive  men. 
"There  is  not  a  thing  designed  or  invented  that  will  aid  us  either 


BLATCHLEY]  CLARK    COUNTY.  13 

in  our  manner  of  refining  the  oil,  or  in  effecting  a  saving  so  that  we 
can  untilize  what  was  formerly  wasted,  that  we  do  not  have  in  our  re- 
fineries. The  changes  that  have  taken  place  in  the  last  tenor  fifteen 
years  are  simply  wonderful.  Take  refined  oil,  for  instance.  Many 
of  our  people  can  easily  recall  when  it  was  almost  as  yellow  as  saffron ; 
now  it  is  as  clear  as  crystal,  and  has  been  refined  to  such  a  degree 
that  not  a  drop  of  it  need  be  wasted.  Our  oils  are  used  in  soaps, 
perfumes,  liniments,  vaseline,  and  in  so  many  different  ways  that  I 
have  neither  the  time  nor  the  inclination  to  try  to  define  their  var- 
ied uses." 

Historical. 

oil  developments  in  illinois  to  1904. 

The  search  for  natural  gas  and  petroleum  in  Illinois  dates  back  to 
about  the  middle  of  the  Nineteenth  century,  one  or  two  bores  yield- 
ing marsh  gas  having  been  drilled  near  Champaign  in  1853.  Near 
Lowell,  in  LaSalle  county,  oil  is  reported  to  have  been  found  a  few 
years  later. 

Clark  county. — In  the  early  "sixties",  when  the  first  oil  excite- 
ment spread  over  the  eastern  United  States,  about  a  dozen  bores  were 
sunk  eight  miles  north  of  Casey,  Clark  county,  by  parties  from  Chi- 
cago. The  first  of  these  was  drilled  on  a  farm  then  owned  by  T.  R 
Young,  in  section  17,  Parker  township. 

Some  of  these  wells  were  being  drilled  in  1865,  and  six  were  located 
on  the  Young,  Robinson,  Williams,  Dr.  Briscoe  and  John  Briscoe 
farms  in  Parker  township,  between  the  towns  of  Oilfield  and  West- 
field,  and  one  on  Blue  Island  in  Westfield  township.  These  early 
wells  were  drilled  with  the  holes  full  of  water,  as  but  little,  if  any 
casing  was  used.  This  water  held  back  the  oil,  so  that  no  good  show- 
ing was  obtained.  As  a  result  the  drillers  became  discouraged  and 
the  attempt  was  abandoned.  Enough  oil  was  found  in  the  vicinity  to 
give  the  name  Oilfield  to  the  hamlet  which  sprang  up  during  the  ex- 
citement. This  name,  together  with  the  stories  of  the  older  inhabi- 
tants, finally  led  to  renewed  drilling  in  1904,  which  opened  up  the 
present  lively  "Casey  Oil  Field."  The  results  have  amply  shown  that 
it  is  not  safe  for  any  one  to  say  with  emphasis  that  neither  gas  nor 
oil  will  be  found  in  any  locality  simply  because  a  few  shallow  bores 
have  proven  barren.  In  Indiana  and  Illinois,  where  oil  and  gas  occur 
in  isolated  pools  and  in  several  different  rock  formations,  no  man  can 
say  with  certainty  what  the  drill  will  reveal. 

Montgomef'y  county — Oil  was  discovered  many  years  ago  while 
prospecting  for  coal,  and  for  some  years  a  small  production  was  main- 
tained by  skimming  the  oil  off  the  water  in  a  mine  sump.  At  Litch- 
field, Montgomery  county,  about  105  miles  west  of  Casey  and  40 
miles  south  of  Springfield,  about  1886  a  number  of  wells  were  drilled 
for  oil  and  gas.  Both  were  found  at  a  depth  of  640  to  670  feet,  "be- 
low the  Lower  Coal  Measures,  bordering  on  the  Devonian."  About 
two  and  a  half  miles  south  of  Litchfield  a  large  gas  well  was  struck 
in  1882,  the  pressure  of  which  was  between  400  and  450  pounds  to 
the  square  inch.  This  well  was  spoiled  by  salt  water  in  1884.  The 
well  was  drilled  dry  and  cased  at  580  feet,  with  no  salt  water  found  in 


14  THE   PETROLEUM    INDUSTRY   OF    EASTERN    ILLINOIS.         [bull.  2 

the  gas  sand;  but  after  drilling  down  200  feet  further  a  heavy  vein  of 
salt  water  was  struck.  This  could  not  be  successfully  plugged  off, 
and  finally  drenched  out  the  gas,  which  was  reached  at  640  feet.* 

"The  best  gas  was  discovered  at  a  depth  of  666  feet.  About  seven 
miles  of  pipe  were  laid,  ranging  from  three  to  eight  inches  in  diame- 
ter, and  the  gas  was  supplied  to  about  500  stoves  in  Litchfield,  being 
used  chiefly  for  domestic  purposes. "f 

In  1889  some  of  the  wells  began  to  yield  oil,  the  yield  being  con- 
tinued until  1903.  In  Mineral  Kesources  of  the  United  States  for 
1889,  page  353,  the  following  account  of  this  oil  production  is  given: 
"The  oil  is  a  lubricating  one,  dark,  almost  black  in  color,  and  of 
22"  B.  specific  gravity.  The  cold  test  is  remarkable,  the  oil  remain- 
ing fluid  at  20°  below  zero,  Fahrenheit.  It  is  largely  used  by  the 
factories  in  the  neighborhood  of  Litchfield,  and  is  sold  to  consumers 
at  near-by  points  for  lubricating  purposes,  bringing  from  8  to  10 
cents  per  gallon  in  bulk,  according  to  quantity.  In  all  there  have 
been  thirty  wells  bored  in  the  neighborhood  of  Litchfield,  chiefly  for 
gas.  The  depth  of  these  w^ells  ranges  from  640  to  670  feet.  All  save 
five  were  abandoned  years  ago.  These  five  wells  continue  to  produce 
the  character  of  petroleum  mentioned  above.  The  average  production 
of  these  wells  is  about  four  barrels  per  day.  They  are  pumped  by 
heads,  and  one  man  attends  to  them  all.  Natural  gas  from  wells  near 
by  is  used  to  some  extent  in  furnishing  fuel  for  pumping  the  wells. 
The  supply  of  gas  ts  about  equal  to  twelve  tons  of  coal  a  year,  and 
twelve  tons  additional  are  used  in  pumbing.  The  supply  of  natural 
gas  is  gradually  diminishing." 

Between  1889  and  1903,  when  the  production  ceased,  the  total 
yield  of  oil  from  the  Litchfield  wells  was  as  follows: 

Production  of  Petroleum  at  Litchfield,  Illinois,  from  1889  to  1903. 

Barrels. 

500 

360 

360 

200 

250 

200 


1889    

Barrels. 
1,460 

1897 

1890 

900 

1898 

1891  .          .  . 

675 

1899 

1892 

521 

1900 

1893     

400 

1901 

1894 

300 

1902 

1895 

200 

1896 

250 

Total 6.576 

Crawford  county — The  Crawford  County  Oil,  Gras  &  Coal  Company 
was  organized  in  the  spring  of  1900  for  the  purpose  of  developing  the 
natural  fuels  of  Crawford  county.  They  started  drilling  in  the  south- 
east quarter  of  section  35,  Robinson  township,  one  and  a  half  miles 
east  of  Eobinson,  the  county  seat.  At  a  depth  of  820  feet,  before  the 
oil  bearing  rock  was  reached,  some  salt  water  was  encountered.  At 
about  that  depth  the  bore  began  to  cave  and  was  abandoned. 

In  the  spring  of  1901  the  rig  was  moved  to  the  D.  C.  Jones  farm, 
one  and  a  half  miles  north  of  Robinson.  Here  a  second  bore  was 
started  in  which  a  small  supply  of  gas  was  found  at  1,040  feet.  This 
burned  about  eight  feet  above  the  casing.     It  was  shut  off  and  the 


*Mineral  Resources  U.  S.,  1885,  p.  167. 
tMineral  Resources  U.  S.,  1886,  p.  512. 


BLATCHLEY.J  SPARTA   GAS    WELLS.  15 

well  drilled  to  a  depth  of  1,190  feet  where  a  strong  vein  of  salt  water 
prevented  further  drilling.  Three  additional  attempts  in  the  years 
1901,  '02  and  '03,  resulted  in  a  loss  of  tools  in  the  wells  at  depths  be- 
tween 900  and  1,000  feet. 

A  sixth  bore  in  the  spring  of  1904  resulted  in  a  small  supply  of  gas 
and  oil,  at  depths  ranging  between  900  and  1,100  feet.  The  bore  was 
continued  down  to  1,340  seet,  and  there  abandoned.  A  record  of  the 
various  strata  passed  through,  will  be  given  on  a  subsequent  page. 
The  company,  after  expending  more  than  $10,000  without  returns, 
finally  gave  up  the  search  as  useless ;  though  in  less  than  eighteen 
months  good  productive  oil  wells  were  found  within  six  miles  of 
Robinson. 

Randolph  county — Near  Sparta,  in  Randolph  county,  natural  gas 
was  fou]id  in  June,  1888,  and  J.  M.  Nickles,  writing  in  1895,  enumer- 
ated twenty-two  wells  which  had  been  put  down,  of  which  the  larger 
number  produced  some  gas,(*)  The  developed  gas  territory  covered 
less  than  two  square  miles.  The  output  for  the  year,  1889,  was  esti- 
mated at  120,000,000  cubic  feet.  The  gas  was  found  at  a  depth  of 
850  feet.  It  occurred  in  the  Chester  formation  underlying  the  Coal 
Measures.  The  production  gradually  decreased  and  eventually  ceased 
altogether. 

ILLINOIS    OIL    AND    GAS    FIELD    ON    MAY   1,    1906. 

In  1905  and  the  early  part  of  1906  determined  efforts  were  made  to 
develop  gas  and  oil  at  a  number  of  points  in  the  State.  These  efforts 
were  most  successful  in  southeastern  Illinois,  but  in  the  southern  and 
western  parts  of  the  State  some  encouraging  results  were  obtained. 
The  known  occurrences  of  gas  and  oil,  aside  from  gas  pockets  in  the 
drift,  is  shown  in  plate  1,  on  which  is  also  shown  the  known  lines  of 
deformation.  In  most  of  the  localities  either  by  reason  of  the  small 
quantity  as  yet  found  or  the  absence  of  pipe  lines,  there  was  at  the 
date  mentioned  no  production.  That  portion  of  the  State  actually 
producing  crude  oil  and  natural  gas  in  commercial  quantities  on  May 
1st,  was  mostly  comprised  in  a  strip  of  territory  about  forty  miles  in 
length  and  twelve  miles  wide,  extending  from  Westfield,  Clark  county, 
a  little  east  of  south  to  below  Oblong,  Crawford  coimty.  The  present 
report  is  mainly  devoted  to  this  area. 

The  strip  of  territory  mentioned  comprises  parts  of  three  counties, 
viz.:  Clark,  Cumberland  and  Crawford,  which  lie  on  or  near  the 
eastern  boundary  line  of  the  State,  and  a  little  south  of  its  center. 
It  comprises  a  part  of  each  of  the  following  civil  townships :  West- 
field,  Parker,  Casey  and  Johnson  of  Clark  county;  Union  and  Crooked 
Creek  of  Cumberland  county,  and  Prairie,  LaMotte  and  Oblong  of 
Crawford  county.  The  center  of  operations  in  Clark  county  is  Casey, 
a  thriving  town  of  1,800  population,  situated  on  the  Vandalia  and  C. 
H.  &  D.  railways,  thirty-five  miles  west  of  Terre  Haute,  Ind.,  and  133 
miles  east  of  St.  Louis;  while  in  Crawford  county,  Robinson,  the 
county  seat,  located  thirty-eight  miles  southwest  of  Terre  Haute,  on 
the  Cairo  division  of  the  Big  Four  and  the  Illinois  Central  railways, 

*  Rept,  Board  Worlds'  Fair  Commissioners,  1903,  pp.  183-190. 


36  THE   PETEOLEUM    INDUSTRY   OF   EASTERN    ILLINOIS.         [bull.  2 

is  the  operating  center.  The  surface  of  the  area  producing  oil  is,  in 
the  northern  and  southern  parts,  mainly  prairie  with  little  deviation 
in  level,  while  in  the  central  part,  along  the  streams,  it  is  quite  hilly 
or  broken.  Wherever  bluffs  or  hills  are  found  they  are  the  results  of 
erosion.  But  few  outcrops  of  rock  occur  within  the  oil  field,  and  they 
are  limestones,  sandstones  or  shales  of  the  Carboniferous,  exposed  in 
gullies  or  along  the  streams  where  the  water  has  eroded  channels 
through  the  drift  and  boulder  clay  everywhere  covering  the  oil  terri- 
tory to  a  depth  of  from  fifteen  to  100  feet. 

But  few  of  the  roads  of  the  oil  territory  have  as  yet  been  improved 
with  either  stone  or  gravel.  As  a  result  they  are,  from  Dec.  1st  to 
April  5th,  almost  impassable  for  the  heavy  hauling  necessary  to  the 
proper  development  of  an  oil  field.  For  that  reason  the  work  must 
be  mainly  done  in  the  remaining  seven  and  a  half  months  of  the  year 

PETROLEUM  PEODUCING  ROCKS  OF  ILLINOIS. 

The  rocks  producing  oil  in  southeastern  Illinois  belong  to  the  Car- 
boniferous system,  the  district  being  within  the  Eastern  Interior  coal 
field.  This  coal  field  covers  an  area  of  46,000  square  miles  in  central 
and  southern  Illinois,  southwestern  Indiana  and  northwestern  Ken- 
tucky. It  occupies  an  elliptical  basin  with  a  center  in  southeastern 
Illinois,  toward  which  the  different  layers  of  rocks  slope  or  dip  from 
every  direction.  At  the  center  of  the  basin  there  is  an  area  of  con- 
siderable extent  within  which  the  strata  are  nearly  horizontal.  This 
lies  between  the  Wabash  and  Embarras  rivers  on  the  east,  the  Kas- 
kaskia  river  on  the  northeast  and  the  Louisville  and  Nashville  Rail- 
way on  the  south, 

The  rocks  of  this  basin  in  Illinois  and  Indiana  are  separated  by 
geologists  into  three  great  groups  or  subdivisions,  (1.)  Upper  or  Bar- 
ren Coal  Measures;  (2.)  Lower  Coal  Measures;  (3.)  Mansfield  sand- 
stone. 

Mansfield  sandstone — The  basal  or  lowermost  one  of  these  groups 
in  that  of  the  Mansfield  sandstone  or  Millstone  grit;  also 'known  in 
geological  literature  as  Conglomerate  sandstone,  Pottsville  conglom- 
erate, etc.  This  is  a  bed  of  sandstone  which,  in  eastern  Illinois, 
ranges  up  to  110  feet  in  known  thickness.  It  varies  greatly  in  texture, 
color  and  thickness.  In  places  the  sandstone  is  a  coarse  conglomer- 
ate, from  which  it  grades  into  coarse  sandstone  by  the  decrease  in  the 
number  and  size  of  the  pebbles  and  the  corresponding  increase  in  the 
relative  amount  of  sand.  It  is  in  places  a  massive  sandstone,  but 
elsewhere  more  or  less  laminated,  and  in  many  places  shows  cross- 
bedding.  Locally  it  contains  many  nodular  iron  masses  which  are 
generally  hollow.  It  is  not  rich  in  fossils,  but  sometimes  contains 
fossil  coal  plants,  and  locally  it  contains  small  coal  seams  and  beds  of 
fireclay.  The  color  varies  from  light  gray  through  buff,  yellow,  yel- 
low-brown to  red.  It  is  more  durable  than  either  the  under-lying  or 
the  over-lying  rocks,  and  where  exposed  along  its  eastern  outcrop  in 
Indiana  it  forms  bold  cliffs  along  the  water  courses. 

The  Mansfield  sandstone  markes  a  period  of  inflow  of  the  sea.  Pre- 
vious to  its  deposition,  there  had  been  withdrawal  of  the  sea,  and 


BLATCHLEY.]  MANSFIELD    SANDSTONE.  17 

erosion  had  cut  numerous  valleys  to  varying  depths,  while  the  land 
had  been  covered  with  the  products  of  weathering.  The  incoming 
sea  gathered  up  the  fragments  of  rock  waste  and  tilled  the  depressions 
of  the  former  land  area,  thus  forming  a  mantle  of  sand,  gravel,  clay 
and  coal,  which  rests  unconformably  upon  the  underlying  uneven 
surface.  Under  such  conditions  different  deposits  would  be  forming 
in  different  pans  of  the  area  at  the  same  time.  On  the  advancing 
shore  line  there  would  be  in  many  places  quite  violent  waves  which 
would  result  in  mixed  deposits  of  sand  and  gravel,  more  or  less  in- 
clined to  the  horizontal  in  which  the  characteristic  beach  structure 
would  show  itself.  Out  from  the  beach  in  deeper  water,  deposits  of 
tine  sand  and  mud  would  be  formed  on  which,  as  the  water  shallowed, 
swams  and  bogs  that  later  became  coal  beds  would  form.  At  this 
time  such  vegetable  deposits  were  quite  limited  in  both  vertical  and 
areal  extent  in  comparison  with  those  formed  in  the  next  succeeding 
period. 

Recently  some  geologists  have  been  inclined  to  assign  the  origin 
of  more  or  less  of  the  conglomerate  and  sandstone  to  the  action  of 
streams  bearing  sand  and  gravel  from  distant  uplands  and  depositing 
them  on  the  low  ground  of  the  basins  in  which  the  formation  is 
found.  JMot  improbably  the  land  streams  and  the  sea  co-ojjerated  in 
the  process. 

In  southeastern  Illinois  the  Mansfield  sandstone  lies  from  800  to 
1,100  feet  below  the  surface,  with  many  impervious  shales  above. 
Being  often  coarsely  granular  and  therefore  very  porous,  it  furnishes 
a  typical  storage  reservoir,  wherein  petroleum,  salt  water  or  other 
fluids  may  be  retained. 

Lower  Coal  Measures — Above  the  Mansfield  sandstone  are  the 
rocks  of  the  lower  or  productive  coal  measures,  which  consist  of  al- 
ternating beds  of  shale,  sandstone,  clay  and  limestone,  with  oc- 
casional beds  of  compressed  vegetation  in  the  form  of  ccal.  During 
the  Carboniferous  period,  when  the  coal  and  its  accompanying  shales 
and  sandstones  were  in  process  of  formation,  the  area  now  comprised 
in  the  eastern  interior  coal  field  was  a  great  basin  or  flat  but  little 
above  the  level  of  the  sea,  and  surrounded  on  every  side  except  the 
southwestern,  by  the  higher  lands  of  the  older  formations,  By  suc- 
cessive alterations  of  level,  ranging  through  thousands  of  years,  this 
basin  became  at  times  an  arm  of  the  southwestern  sea,  again  a  fresh 
water  lake,  and  then  for  a  period  a  vast  swamp  or  marsh.  When 
high  enough  to  form  a  marsh,  vegetation  sprang  up  from  the  ooze 
and  mud  at  the  bottom  and  flourished  for  centuries — the  newer 
growths  springing  from  between  the  fallen  masses  of  the  older,  as  in 
the  peat  bogs  of  today,  and  so  formed  a  mighty  mass  of  carbona- 
ceous material. 

The  marsh  was  at  times  covered  by  sheets  of  fresh  water,  into 
which  rivers  from  the  surrounding  highlands  flowed,  bearing  with 
them  millions  of  tons  of  clayey  sediment  and  sand,  the  remains  of  the 
older  decayed  rocks.  This  sediment  was  spread  out  over  the  mass  of 
submerged  vegetation,  and  by  protecting  it  from  complete  decompos- 
ition and  by  compressing  it,  aided  in   its  conversion  into  the  hard, 

— 2  G  S 


18  THE    PETEOLEUM    INDUSTRY   OF   EASTERN    ILLINOIS.         [bull.  2 

mineral  coal.  The  clayey  sediment  itself  was  in  time  hardened  into 
vast  beds  of  shale  and  the  sand  into  sandstone.  Where  fresh  water 
shells  and  other  forms  of  lime  secretions  were  sufficiently  abundant, 
limestone  was  formed.  At  some  times  and  in  some  places  the  sea 
covered  the  basin  and  brought  in  marine  forms  of  life,  forming 
marine  limestones  as  well  as  marine  shales  and  sanstones,  but  none 
of  the  limestones  cover  an  extensive  area  or  are  of  great  thickness. 

After  each  submergence,  with  the  resulting  formation  of  shale, 
sandstone  or  limestone,  an  emergence  followed.  The  floor  of  the 
basin  was  brought  to  the  surface  or  so  near  the  surface  that  the  vege- 
tation for  a  new  coal  seam  could  spring  up,  and  the  processes  detailed 
above  were  again  undergone. 

The  thickness  and  composition  of  the  different  beds  of  shale  and 
sandstone  were  determined  almost  wholly  by  the  character  and  source 
of  those  streams  of  water  which  flowed  into  the  old  basin  in  which 
the  shales  were  formed.  If  the  stream  was  a  large  one  and  flowed  for 
a  long  time  with  sufficient  velocity  to  carry  sediment  far  out  into  the 
deeper  part  of  the  basin,  the  bed  of  shale  or  sandstone  is  thick, 
covers  a  large  area,  and  is  comparatively  uniform  throughout.  On 
the  other  hand,  if  the  stream  was  small  a  flowed  slowly,  the  shale 
or  sandstone  bed  is  correspondingly  thin,  of  small  extent,  and  more 
apt  to  be  varied  in  its  composition.  The  kinds  of  rocks  over  which 
these  ancient  rivers  flowed  on  their  way  to  the  basin  determined  the 
constitutents  of  the  sediments  they  brought  down,  and  therefore  the 
character  and  composition  of  the  shales  and  sandstones  into  which 
this  sediment  was  afterward  formed. 

It  must  also  be  remembered  that  most  coal  seams,  as  well  as  strata 
associated  with  them,  are  necessarily  more  local  in  their  occurrence 
than  are  thicker  strata  of  purely  marine  origin.  Conditions  are  more 
uniform  over  the  sea  bottom  than  over  a  land  area,  especially  a  swamp 
area,  such  as  that  of  the  old  basin  of  the  carboniferous  coal  fields. 
As  this  area  was  subject  to  many  periods  of  emergence  and  submer- 
gence during  the  accumulation  of  the  carbonaceous  deposits  that 
form  the  coal  beds,  there  would  from  necessity  be  many  swamp,  lake, 
sea  and  land  areas.  While  it  is  possible  that  a  vegetal  swamp  might 
have  extended  over  the  entire  Indiana-Illinois  coal  field,  it  is  much 
mxore  probable  that  over  such  a  large  area  so  near  sea-level,  there 
would  be  portions  of  the  area  under  water  too  deep  for  vegetation  to 
grow,  and  other  portions  so  far  above  the  water  that  no  vegetation 
might  accumulate.  Hence,  the  coal  might  form  either  in  separated 
basins  or  in  one  large  basin,  with  many  barren  spots,  where  the  up- 
land areas  and  the  deeper  water  areas  were  at  the  time.  It  should 
be  kept  in  mind  that  many  coal  seams  and  their  accompanying  shales 
and  sandstones  cover  only  a  few  acres,  or  a  few  hundred  acres,  while 
others  may  extend  over  hundreds,  or  even  thousands  of  square  miles. 

Any  one  of  the  limestones  or  the  sandstones  of  the  Lower  Coal 
Measures  may,  in  certain  restricted  areas,  be  porous  enough  to  serve 
as  a  reservoir  for  the  storage  of  petroleum,  and  may  be  petroleum- 
bearing,  provided  the  necessary  conditions  of  accumulation  and 
preservation  of  oil  in  commercial  quantities  be  present.  These  con- 
ditions will  be  hereafter  treated. 


BLATCHLEY.] 


GENERAL    SECTION. 


19 


Upper  or  Barren  Coal  Measures — Above  the  rocks  of  the  produc- 
tive Coal  Measures,  last  described,  are  those  of  the  barren  Coal 
Measures,  which  include  six  or  seven  thin  beds  of  coal  alternating 
with  shales,  sandstones  and  limestones,  as  in  the  productive  measures, 
These  barren  Coal  Measures  attain  in  Illinois  a  thickness  of  700  feet. 
and  any  one  of  the  sandstones  and  limestones  present  may  be  pro- 
ductive of  petroleum,  provided  the  conditions  are  favorable  for  the 
accumulation  and  preservation  of  oil. 

General  section — The  foregoing  description  of  the  Carboniferous 
rocks  of  southeastern  Illinois,  within  which  the  petroleum  of  the 
Casey  and  Robinson  fields  occurs,  may,  perhaps,  be  the  better  under- 
stood by  a  study  of  the  following  detailed  section  of  the  Carboniferous 
rocks  of  the  state,  as  given  by  A.  H.  Worthen,  in  the  sixth  volume  of 
the  Illinois  Geological  Survey,  pages  2  to  5.  In  a  preface  to  this 
section.  Dr.  Worthen  stated  that  the  "best  exposures  of  the  upper  or 
barren  coals  and  associated  strata  were  found  on  the  upper  course  of 
the  Kaskaskia  and  its  tributaries,  and  to  the  east  and  southeast,  in- 
cluding the  counties  adjacent  to  the  Wabash  river,  from  Clark  county 
on  the  north  to  the  south  line  of  White  county,  where  the  limestone 
separating  the  upper  and  lower  Coal  Measures  is  found  out-cropping 
at  New  Haven  on  the  lower  Wabash." 


General  Section  of  the  Carboniferous  Rocks  of  Illinois. 

Feet.     Inches. 

1  Sandstone  and  sandy  shale,  upper  part  gray,  middle  brown,  with  frag- 

ments of  fossil  plants 50 

2  Bituminous  shales  and  septaria 6 

3  Dark  clay  shales 4 

4  Dark,  ash-brown  shaly  and  nodular  limestone 1  6 

5  Blue  and  olive  shales 5 

6  Gray  sandstones  and  sandy  shales 26 

7  Thin  coal G 

8  Fire  clay 5 

9  Buff  sandstone 12 

10  Clay  shale  with  bands  of  f  ossilif erous  iron  ore 35 

11  Bituminous  shales  and  pyritiferous  limestone  with  clayey  shales  con- 

taining silicious  wood 9 

12  Gray,  pyritiferous  sandstone 30  to  40 

13  Shales  with  fucoids 40 

14  Gray  limestone 4  to    8 

15  Calcareous  shale 1  6 

16  Coal  No. 16 1  to    3 

17  Fireclay 1  to    3 

18  Sandstone  and  shales 80  to  90 

19  Bituminous  shale 2 

20  Coal  No.  15,  "Shelby  coal" 1  to    3 

21  Fireclay 2  to    5 

22  Buff  limestone i 

23  Sandstone  and  shales ■ 15  to  50 

24  Shales,  partly  calcaieous 10  to  15 

25  Calcareo-bituminous  shales,  passing  into  shelly,  bituminous  limestone, 

fossils  abundant 2  to    4 

26  Coal  No.  13,  "Pana  coal" 1  6 

27  Fire  clay  and  clay  shale 3  to    5 

28  Calcareous  sandstone 2  to    5 

29  Sandstone  and  sandy  shale 50 

30  Shaly  limestone  with  fossils  similar  to  those  of  the  bed  below 4 

31  Hard,  gray  limestone 5  to  25 

32  Shales 6 

33  Coal  No. 13 1  to    1  6 

34  Bituminous  and  agrillaceous  shales  locally  f  ossilif  erous 6  to    8 

35  Sandstones  and  sandy  shales 75  to  85 

36  Dark,  shaly  limestone  and  calcareous  shales , .  2  to    4 

37  Coal  No. 12 6in.to    1  6 

38  Shales  10 

39  Gray  or  buff  limestone,  partly  shaly 5  to  20 

40  Bituminous  shale,  locally  f  ossilif  erous 2  to    4 


20  THE    PETEOLEUM    INDUSTRY   OF    EASTERN    ILLINOIS.         [bull.  2 

Carboniferous  Rocks  of  Illinois — Concluded. 

Feet.    Inches. 

41  Coal  No. 11 Ito  1  6 

42  Sandy  and  clayey  shales 35  to  40 

43  Limy,  bituminous  shales 2  to  3  6 

44  Coal  No. 10 7  in.  to  3  6 

45  Fire  clay 1  to  4 

46  Sandy  shales  and  brown  sandstone 4  to  8 

47  Band  of  cone  in  cone,  replaced  in  White  county,  at  Carmi,  by  a  band  of 

brown  iron  ore 2 

48  Clayey  shales  with  flattened  iron  stones 20 

49  Dark,  ash-gray  or  chocolate  colored  limy  sandstones 2  to    5 

50  Sandy  shales  and  sandstone 30  to  60 

51  Hard,  brownish-g:ray  limestone  of  Shoal  Creek,  Carlinville  and  New 

Haven,   and  the  recognized  boundary  line  between  the  upper  and 

lower  measures - 4  to  7 

52  Greenish-drab  and  blue  shales 4  to'  6 

53  Bituminous  shale 2 

54  Blue  shale  with  flattened  concretions  of  iron. 8  to  10 

55  CoalNo.9 6  in.  to  2 

.56    Fire  clay 1  to  2 

57  Sandy  shales  and  sandstone 35  to  65 

58  Limey,    bituminous   shale,   passing   locally  into  a   clayey   limestone 

abounding  in  fossils 2  to    3 

59  CoalNo.8 Ito    2 

60  Dark  ash-gray  fire  clay 2  to    3 

61  Nodular  shale  passing  locally  into  hard,  silicious  limestone 3  to    4 

62  Sandy  shales  and  sandstone 40  to  75 

63  Dark  ash-gray  silicious  limestone  Ito    7 

64  Bituminous  shale 1  to    3 

65  Coal  No.  7 2  to    9 

66  Fireclay 2  to    3 

67  Sandstone  and  sandy  shale 30  to  50 

68  Gray  clayey  limestone 3 

69  Laminated  bituminous  shale 2  to    4 

70  Coal  No.  6 18  in.  to    5 

71  Fireclay Ito    3 

72  Sandstones  and  shales 25  to  75 

73  Hard,  black  shale,  with  concretions  of  limestone  containing  numerous 

fossils 1  to    5 

74  CoalNo.5 4  to    7 

75  Fireclay Ito    3 

76  Sandstone  and  sandy  shale 30  to  75 

77  Bituminous  shale  and  clayey  limestone 2  to    4 

78  CoalNo.4 2  to    4 

79  Fire  clay  and  clay  shale 2  to  10 

80  Sandstone  and  sandy  shale 50to  75 

81  Bituminous  shale  passing  passing  locally  into  dark  blue  limestone 3  to    6 

82  Coal  No.  3..... 2  to    4 

83  Fireclay Ito    3 

84  Hard,  tough,  si  eel-gray  limestone  weathering  to  a  rusty-brown  color 18  in.  to    3 

85  Sandstone  and  silicious  shale : 25  to  30 

86  Blue  clay  shale  filled  with  fossil  plants 2  to    3 

87  CoalNo.2 2  to    5 

88  Light  gray  fire  clay 2  to    3 

89  Sandstone  and  silicious  shales,  about  50  feet  in  thickness,  on  the  north- 

ern and  western  borders  of  the  coal  field,   but  in  Gallatin  county 

attaining  a  thickness  of  about  440  feet,  with  some  thin  seams  of  coal 50  to  140 

90  Dark  clayey  limestone,  sometimes  highly  silicious 3  to    8 

91  Bituminous  and  silicious  shales  forming  the  roof  of  coal 3  to    8 

92  Coal  No. 1 18  in.  to    5 

93  Silicious  shaly  fire  clay 2  to    3 

94  Silicious  shales  with  concretions  of  carbonate  of  iron 0  to  70 

95  Coarse  sandstone  or  conglomerate  forming  the  base  of  the  Coal  Meas- 

ures*        20  to  110 

Surface  deposits — Over  the  Carboniferous  rocks  of  Illinois  there 
is  almost  everywhere  a  bed  of  drift  or  glacial  debris,  ranging  in  thick- 
ness from  five  to  100  feet  or  more.  This  is  a  complex  of  clay,  sand, 
gravel  and  boulders  of  foreign  origin,  sometimes  bedded  and  some- 
times indiscriminately  mixed.  When  drilling  for  oil  an  iron  pipe, 
usually  ten  inches  in  diameter,  is  driven  through  this  drift  to  the 

*In  the  southern  portion  of  the  State  this  sandstone  is  largely  developed,  with  an  average 
thickness  of  more  than  100  feet,  but  in  the  northern  portion  it  is  seldom  found  attaining  a 
thickness  of  more  than  25  to  30  feet,  and  is  often  wanting  altogether.  It  appears  at  several 
localities  at  Whiteside  county,  as  outliers  of  considerable  thickness,  several  miles  beyond  the 
present  boundary  of  the  coal  field. 


WELLER.]  LINES   OF    DEFORMATION.  21 

first  rock  which  will  support  it,  which  is  most  often  a  shale.  This  is 
done  to  prevent  the  caving  of  the  loose  material  of  the  drift;  the  pipe 
being  known  as  the  "drive  pipe." 


GEOLOGIC  STRUCTURE  OF  THE  STATE. 

(By  Stuart  Weller.) 

While  in  general  the  rocks  of  the  State  are  flat  lying  or  have  an 
imperceptible  dip,  they  are  not  absolutely  horizontal.  Taken  as  a 
whole  the  eastern  interior  coal  field  is  a  great  shallow  basin  with 
slight  dips  toward  the  center  from  all  sides.  These  dips  can  only 
be  measured  in  feet  per  mile.  There  are,  however,  a  few  lines  along 
which  the  dips  are  reversed,  so  that  there  are  certain  rather  poorly 
defined  arched  areas.  These  have  not  yet  been  carefully  worked  out, 
but  such  as  have  been  certainly  recognized  are  indicated  upon  the 
accompanying  map,  (plate  1). 

At  least  six  distinct  lines  of  structural  deformation  of  the  strata 
may  be  clearly  recognized  within  the  State.  This  deformation  is 
exhibited  in  the  slight  folding  and  faulting  of  the  strata,  but  in  no 
case  have  all  the  structural  details  been  worked  out.  All  of  these 
lines  have  a  northwest-southeast  trend,  although  three  are  more 
clearly  east  and  west  than  the  others  and  most  of  them  are  within 
the  southern  half  of  the  State. 

The  northern-most  of  these  lines  extends  into  Illinois  near  Savanna 
but  is  best  displayed  in  Jackson  county,  Iowa.  The  most  important 
deformation  line  crosses  the  Illinois- Wisconsin  boundary  in  Stephen- 
son county  and  continues  with  a  direction  of  about  twenty-three  de- 
grees east  of  south,  crossing  the  Rock  river  at  Grand  Detour  and  the 
Illinois  between  LaSalle  and  Utica.  This  line  seems  to  be  a  simple 
low  arch  or  anticlinal  swell  with  the  southwestern  limb  much  the 
steeper.  It  brings  small  areas  of  the  Lower  Magnesian  limestone  and 
larger  areas  of  the  St.  Peter  sandstone  to  the  surface  in  Ogle  county 
and  again  in  LaSalle  county.  This  arch  continues  southeastwardly 
beyond  the  Illinois  river,  but  the  rock  surface  of  this  portion  of  the 
State  is  so  deeply  buried  by  drift  that  it  is  not  easy  to  follow  such  a 
line  of  deformation.  A  well  drilled  at  Tuscola,*  however,  to  a  depth 
of  792  feet,  seems  to  show  that  the  Coal  Measure  strata  are  absent  at 
that  point,  a  fact  which  would  indicate  the  j)osition  of  the  axis  of  the 
arch.  To  the  southeast  of  Charleston  the  oil  field  now  being  devel- 
oped is  probaby  associated  with  the  southward  continuation  of  this 
LaSalle  anticline,  as  it  is  called.  How  much  the  deformation  amounts 
to  here  is  uncertain,  and  its  influence  in  localizing  the  oil  is  probably 
general  only. 

The  third  line  of  deformation  crosses  the  Mississipjoi  river  in 
southern  Calhoun  county  with  a  direction  of  about  ten  degrees  south 
of  east.  It  crosses  the  Illinois  river  a  few  miles  above  its  mouth, 
into  Jersey  county,  but  soon  strikes  the  Mississippi  again  by  reason 


'Geol.  Surv.  Illinois,  Vol.  8,  p.  25. 


ZZ  THE   PETROLEUM    INDUSTRY   OF   EASTERN    ILLINOIS.         [bull.  2 

of  the  southward  bending  of  that  stream,  and  following  the  course  of 
the  river  is  soon  lost.  It  is  not  improbable  that  additional  observa- 
tions will  demonstrate  the  continuation  of  this  line  of  deformation 
further  to  the  eastward  than  is  now  recognized.  Where  this  line 
crosses  the  Mississippi  river  from  Missouri  into  Calhoun  county,  it 
is  a  fault  having  a  throw  of  about  1,000  feet,  the  St.  Peter  sandstone 
of  the  Cap  au  Gres  bluff  being  brought  to  the  surface  by  the  up- 
throw to  the  north,  the  strata  on  the  southern  side  of  the  fault  line 
being  the  Mississippian  limestones.  According  to  the  reports  of  the 
former  Geological  Survey,  this  fault  is  rapidly  transformed  into  an 
anticlinal  fold  to  the  eastward,  the  fault  having  entirely  disappeared 
where  the  line  crosses  the  Illinois  river  into  Jersey  county. 

A  fourth  line  of  deformation  and  perhaps  the  slightest  of  the  five 
here  recorded,  is  recognized  in  the  Mississippi  river  bluffs  of  southern 
St.  Clair  county.  It  has  a  direction  of  twenty  degrees  east  of  south, 
but  cannot  be  traced  any  considerable  distance  because  of  the  deep 
mantle  of  drift  present  in  that  portion  of  the  State  away  from  the 
Mississippi  river  bluffs.  The  deformation  is  in  the  nature  of  a  low 
arch,  the  northeastern  limb  having  a  very  gentle  dip  and  the  south- 
western limb  a  steeper  dip  of  from  twenty  degrees  to  thirty  degrees. 

In  the  extreme  southern  portion  of  the  State,  two  arches  are  recog- 
nized, which  pass  from  the  Mississippi  river  on  the  west  to  the  Ohio 
river  to  the  east.  The  first  of  these  passes  from  near  the  mouth  of 
Big  Muddy  river  in  a  direction  of  about  seven  degrees  south  of  east, 
crossing  the  Ohio  somewhere  in  Hardin  county.  At  the  west  Devon- 
ian and  Silurian  rocks  are  brought  to  the  surface,  while  eastwardly 
the  Mississippian  limestones  form  the  arch,  with  a  small  area  of 
Devonian  black  shale  in  Hardin  county.  In  Pope  and  Hardin  coun- 
ties Bain*  has  recognized  faults,  more  or  less  transverse  to  this  arch, 
which  were  doubtless  formed  at  the  same  time  as  the  aiching.  Much 
more  extensive  faulting  of  a  similar  sort  has  been  mapped  by  Ulrichf 
in  the  adjoining  area  across  the  Ohio  river  in  Kentucky.  Similar 
faulting  will  doubtless  be  recognized  further  west  along  this  axis  with 
more  detailed  study  of  the  region,  which  will  more  or  less  modify  the 
stratigraphic  interpretation  of  the  older  survey. 

The  southern-most  deformation  axis  which  has  been  recognized 
passes  from  the  vicinity  of  Thebes  with  a  direction  of  about  seven 
degrees  south  of  east  to  Grand  Chain  on  the  Ohio  river.  At  Thebes 
this  arch  brings  the  rocks  of  Trenton  age  to  the  surface,  where  they 
form  a  reef  in  the  Mississippi  river  which  at  times  is  dangerous  to 
commerce.  Eastwardly  this  axis  is  buried  beneath  the  Tertiary  for- 
mations, but  at  Grand  Chain,  on  the  Ohio  river,  a  similar  reef  to  that 
in  the  Mississippi  is  recognized. 

In  connection  with  coal  mining  a  considerable  number  of  small 
faults  and  folds  have  been  encountered.  These  have  not  yet  been 
traced  in  detail  and  need  further  study.  Further  work  will  doubtless 
bring  to  light  other  lines  of  deformation,  as  well  as  give  us  far  more 
accurate  knowledge  of  those  here  recognized. 


*BaiD,  U.  S.  G.  S.,  No.  255,  pi.  2. 
tProf.  Pap.  U.  S.  G.  S.,  No.  36,  pi.  2, 


ILLINOIS    GEOLOGICAL    SURVEY. 


BuIL  No.  2    PI    1. 


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ILLINOIS 
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Map  sliowinf?  oil  and  sas  occurrences  in  Illinois  with  principal  lines  of  deformation 

l!\-  Stuart  Weller. 


BLATCHLEY.]  THEORY   OF   GENESIS.  23 

ORIGIIN  OF  OIL  AND  GAS. 

GENERAL. 

Among  geologists  and  scientists  in  general  it  is  now  commonly  be- 
lieved that  j)etroleum  has  been  derived  from  the  decomposition  of 
animal  or  vegetable  bodies,  or  both.  Many  laboratory  experiments 
and  facts  observed  in  nature  tend  to  confirm  this  belief.  For  example, 
when  the  body  of  an  animal  or  plant  is  distilled  in  a  closed  retort,  or 
undergoes  decay  in  the  absence  of  air,  certain  gaseous  and  liquid 
products  are  always  derived.  Again,  oily  water  frequently  exudes 
from  peat  mosses;  and  marsh  gas,  the  chief  constituent  of  natural  gas, 
bubbles  up  from  every  stagnant  pool  which  contains  rotting  vegetable 
or  animal  matter  at  its  bottom.  There  is,  therefore,  no  need  of  far- 
fetched chemical  theories  to  explain  what  is  more  or  less  a  matter  of 
common  experience. 

The  Nev)herry  Theory. — However,  two  distinct  views  prevail  among 
geologists  as  to  the  manner  in  which  the  decomposition  has  been 
brought  about.  One  of  these  views,  first  set  forth  by  Prof.  John  8. 
Newberry,  former  State  Geologist  of  Ohio,  probably  accounts  best  for 
the  oil  found  in  the  sandstone  strata  of  southeastern  Illinois.  Prof. 
Newberry  claimed  that  the  great  beds  of  bituminous  shales,  such  as 
the  Huron,  Genesee  and  Utica  shales,  have  been  the  chief  sources  of 
petroleum — that  the  animal  and  plant  remains  in  those  beds  have 
undergone  a  kind  of  distillation  or  secondary  decomposition,  result- 
ing in  petroleum,  which,  by  hydrostatic  pressure,  has  been  carried  to 
the  rock  strata  in  lohich  it  is  now  found. 

All  shale  beds  are  sedimentary  in  their  origin,  being  composed  of 
particles  of  clay  (an  inorganic  material)  which  have  been  carried  long- 
distances  and  redeposited  in  water.  Now  it  is  well  known  that  clay 
has  a  particular  affinity  for  oily  matter!  Oily  substances  floating  in 
muddy  water  have  been  found  to  attach  themselves  to  suspended  par- 
ticles of  clay  and  sink  to  the  bottom  and  produce  there  a  stratum  rich 
in  oil,  which  in  time  would  be  compressed  by  the  newer  overlying 
strata  into  shale.  Much  of  the  petroleum  of  the  shale  was  doubtless 
thus  derived  from  organic  matter  undergoing  decomposition  in  other 
and  remote  strata. 

At  the  time  that  the  theory  of  Dr.  Newberry  was  published,  the  large 
deposits  of  oil  in  the  Trenton  limestone  rocks  of  Ohio  and  Indiana 
were  unknown.  His  theory  was  based  largely  upon  the  Pennsylva- 
nia fields,  and  seems  more  clearly  than  any  other  to  explain  the  origin 
of  the  petroleum  there  found.  The  Pennsylvania  oil,  like  that  of 
southeastern  Illinois,  occurs  in  a  series  of  sandstone  strata  which  con- 
tain few,  if  any,  organic  remains,  and  could  not,  therefore,  have  fur- 
nished the  original  source  of  the  oil.  These  sandstone  strata  lie  in 
close  relation  to  the  bituminous  and  other  shales  and,  from  their 
porous  nature  have  served  as  reservoirs  in  which  the  oil,  oozing  from 
the  shale,  has  passed  and  accumulated  in  large  quantities. 

The  Hunt  theory — The  second  theory  was  first  promulgated  by  Dr. 
T.  Sterry  Himt  about  1862  and  better  than  any  other,  accounts  for 
the  oil  in  limestone  rocks  wherever  found.  Dr.  Hunt  asserted  that 
petroleum  has  been  formed  from  the  remains  of  animals  or  plants  in 


24  THE    PETROLEUM    INDUSTRY   OF   EASTERN    ILLINOIS,         [bull.  2 

the  same  rock  strata  now  yielding  the  oil,  the  decompisition  having 
taken  place  under  such  conditions  that  the  organism  passed  directly 
into  petroleum  which  has  since  remained  in  the  rocks  where  it  was 
formed. 

Among  the  proofs  of  his  theory,  Dr.  Hunt  stated  that  in  some  cases 
petroleum  is  found  filling  the  cavities  of  large  fossil  shells  (ortho- 
ceratites)  in  the  Trenton  limestone.  "From  some  specimens  nearly 
a  pint  of  petroleum  has  been  obtained."  Again  he  cited  the  fact  that 
a  stratum  of  Niagara  limestone  near  Chicago  is  so  filled  with  petro- 
leum that  blocks  of  it,  used  in  building,  were  discolored  by  the  exu- 
dations which,  mingled  with  dirt,  formed  a  tarry  coating  upon  the 
exposed  surfaces. 

The  theory  of  Dr.  Hunt  was  made  known  about  1862,  long  before 
oil  was  discovered  in  the  limestone  rocks  of  Ohio  and  Indiana.  The 
facts  gathered  and  observations  made  in  the  Trenton  limestone  field 
of  these  states  have  furnished  much  evidence  in  support  of  his  theory; 
and  it  is  now  commonlj^  believed  by  scientists  that  the  oil  found  in 
limestone  has  been  produced  in  the  rock  by  the  direct  decomposition 
of  organisms  originally  inhabiting  the  water  in  which  the  rock  was 
deposited.  Moreover,  it  is  believed  that,  for  the  most  part,  these 
organisms  were  animals,  since  the  limestone  oil  possesses  more  sul- 
phur and  nitrogen,  it  is  of  a  darker  color,  higher  specific  gravity,  and 
has  a  more  rank  and  disagreeable  oder  than  the  "shale  oil"  |)roduced 
in  Pennsylvania,  wich  probably  owes  its  origin  to  the  decomposition 
of  plants  in  the  manner  set  forth  in  the  theory  of  Dr.  Newberry,  as 
given  above. 

Animal  life  was  undoubtedly  abundant  in  the  waters  of  the  old 
basin  in  which  the  Carboniferous  rocks  of  southeastern  Ilinois  were 
deposited.  Fishes,  mollusca  and  many  lower  forms,  such  as  rhizo- 
pods,  corals,  etc.,  abounded.  The  presence  of  such  swarms  of  animal 
life  made  necessary  the  existance  of  an  abundance  of  plants,  since  the 
plant  must  ever  preceed  the  animal  and  gather  for  the  latter  the 
energy,  and  form  for  the  food,  the  living  protoplasm,  necessary  to  its 
existence.  The  aquatic  plants  were  mostly  algse,  or  seaweeds,  while 
those  on  land,  or  growing  in  the  shallow  marshes  were  closely  allied 
to  the  ferns,  horsetails  and  ground  pines  of  the  present  day.  Myriads 
of  spores  and  other  remains  of  the  land  plants  were  undoubtedly 
washed  down  by  the  streams  and  deposited  with  the  mud  and  silt  in 
the  old  basins.  Within  these  beds  of  sediment  both  plants  and  ani- 
mals found  a  grave,  their  bodies  in  vast  numbers  being  burried 
beneath  the  slowly  accumulating  deposits  of  centuries.  Once  buried 
in  such  deposits,  they  did  not  decay,  as  do  animals  on  land,  because 
by  the  waters  above  and  the  ooze  around  them  they  were  shut  off 
from  free  oxygen,  and  the  organic  agents  in  decay.  Gradually  this 
ooze  or  fine  sediment  was  by  the  agency  of  the  sea  water,  cemented 
and  consolidated  into  shales,  sandstones  and  limestones. 

The  remains  of  animals  and  of  plants  were  thus  effectually  sealed 
within  their  rocky  prisons,  and  the  oil  and  gas  derived  from  them 
were  similarly  retained.  This  oil  and  its  more  volatile  portion,  the 
natural  gas,  was  not  formed  in  a  short  time,  but  is  the  result  of  a  slow 


BLATCHLEY.]  GENESIS   OF    NATURAL    GAS.  25 

decomposition  or  destructive  distillation  carried  on  through  thousands 
of  centuries.  Accumulating  in  the  more  porus  portions  of  the  sand- 
stones and  limestones,  it  there  remained  until  man  came  with  his  iron 
drill  and  furnished  a  vent  through  which  it  could  rise.  Then  by  com- 
bustion he  caused  it  to  yield  up  the  stored  energy,  conserved  since 
the  sun's  rays  fell  on  the  plants  of  the  old  Carboniferous  age. 

Origin  of  natural  gas — From  what  has  been  said  it  will  be  seen 
that  both  the  natural  gas  and  the  oil  of  Southeastern  Illinois  had  a 
common  origin,  viz. :  the  destructive  distillation,  carried  on  through 
thousands  of  years,  of  the  remains  of  the  plants  and  animals  which 
had  existed  in  the  waters  or  about  the  margins  of  the  old  basin  in 
which  the  Carboniferous  rocks  were  laid  down.  As  already  noted,  it 
is  a  well  known  fact  that  if  wood,  coal  or  the  tissue  of  any  animal  be 
placed  in  an  air  tight  retort  and  heated,  a  distillation  will  occur,  and 
the  object  will  be  changed  to  gaseous,  oily  and  solid  matters.  In  the 
absence  of  heat  and  air  a  very  long  period  of  time  will  bring  about 
the  same  results.  By  this  is  meant  the  process  of  "slow  destructive 
distillation"  above  mentioned.  The  jjrimary  product  of  such  distilla- 
tion was  probably  a  light  oil,  which,  in  the  course  of  long  time  has, 
by  volatilization,  yeilded  the  gas,  and  has  itself  been  condensed  into 
the  heavier  petroleum.  The  gas  being  lighter  and  more  volatile  than 
the  oil,  gradually  rose  into  the  higher  porous  rocks  of  the  region.  If 
an  open  barrel  be  filled  with  crude  petroleum  from  the  Casey  or  Rob- 
inson field  and  exposed  for  a  single  summer  to  the  air,  more  than  half 
of  its  contents  will  pass  away  in  the  form  of  a  vapor,  and  a  sticky, 
tar  like  residue  will  remain.  If  by  some  means  the  escajDing  vapor 
could  be  collected  and  analyzed  it  would  be  found  in  the  main  to  have 
the  same  composition  as  natural  gas;  in  fact,  it  would  be  natural  gas, 
and  would  burn  as  freely  as  a  sample  of  that  valuable  fuel  collected 
in  the  ordinary  way.  In  the  deioths  of  the  rock  the  evaporation  of 
the  oil  has  been  extremely  slow,  and  the  amount  has  been  limited 
both  by  the  varying  pressure  of  the  overlying  gas  and  the  underlying 
water.  There  is  little  doubt,  however,  but  that  all  the  natural  gas  of 
the  Illinois  fields  has  been  so  derived. 

MODE  OF  OCCURRENCE  OF  ILLINOIS  PETROLEUM. 

DISTRIBUTION   IN   ROCKS. 

The  majority  of  people  who  have  never  seen  an  oil  field 
imagine  that  both  petroleum  and  natural  gas  occur  in  immense 
caverns  or  hollow  spaces  in  the  rocks  beneath  the  surface  of  the 
earth.  They  believe  that  great  lakes  or  underground  cavities  of 
liquid  oil  or  highly  compressed  gas  exist,  and  that  when  tapped  with 
a  drill,  these  yield  in  abundance  the  oil  and  gas  of  commerce.  Such 
beliefs  or  imaginations  are  wholly  wrong,  for  no  large  cavities  or  open 
spaces  of  any  size  occur  in  the  rocks  of  oil  or  gas  producing  areas. 
All  rocks  are,  however,  porus ;  even  shale  of  the  closest  grain  will  hold 
some  liquid  in  the  minute  and  microscopic  cavities  which  it,  in  com- 
mon with  all  rocks,  contains.  Now  the  oil  and  gas  sands  are  simply 
very  porus  rocks  which  contain  not  one  great  cavity,  but  millions 
upon  millions  of  small  or  microscopic  cavities,  so  that  oil,  gas,  water, 


26  THE    PETEOLEUM    INDUSTEY   OF   EASTEEN    ILLINOIS.         [bull.  2 

or  all  three  together,  it  may  be,  occupy  these  numerous  little  spaces, 
and  thus  saturate  the  rock  just  as  water  does  a  piece  of  cloth  or  a 
sponge.  Not  only  Trenton  limestones,  but  most  other  limestones,  as 
well  as  many  shales,  have  in  the  past  produced  petroleum  in  greater 
or  less  quantities.  Distributed  in  minute  proportions  through  the 
substances  of  the  rocks,  petroleum  easily  escapes  notice,  but  when 
intelligently  looked  for  its  presence  is  revealed,  and,  though  the  per- 
centage is  small,  the  aggregate  is  often  vast.  If,  for  example,  a 
stratum  carries  but  one- tenth  of  one  per  cent  of  petroleum  and  is  500 
feet  in  thickness,  it  contains  more  than  2,500,000  barrels  to  the  square 
mile.  Indeed,  so  common  is  the  occurrence  of  petroleum  in  stratified 
rocks  that,  wherever  a  close  grained  shale  occurs  there  is  almost 
always  a  small  accumulation  of  oil  directly  underneath  it.  The  same 
thing  is  found  where  an  impervious  stratum  of  any  other  composition 
than  shale  occurs  in  the  geological  series.  The  larger  the  pores  in  an 
oil  bearing  rock  are,  and  the  greater  the  volume  they  occupy  in  pro- 
portion to  the  volume  of  the  rock  mass,  the  greater  will  be  the  con- 
tained oil  or  gas  supply,  and  this  proportion  in  fairly  good  producing 
sands  usually  varies  between  one-fifth  and  one-tenth ;  that  is,  a  cubic 
foot  of  rock  would  hold,  say,  six  to  twelve  pints  of  oiL  and  of  course 
would  contain  an  equal  volume  of  cavities  for  water  or  gas  should 
either  of  these  substances  be  present  instead  of  oil. 

CONDITIONS   OF   ACCUMULATION. 

If  petroleum  has  been  thus  generally  formed  throughout  the  Car- 
boniferous rocks  of  southeastern  Illinois,  why  do  not  all  parts  of  the 
area  covered  by  those  rocks  yield  it  in  somewhat  equal  amounts? 
Why  is  it  that  a  bore  that  pierces  the  "sand"  in  one  locality  is  a  "dry 
hole,"  while  another,  but  a  short  distance  away,  results  in  a  "hun- 
dred-barrel" well?  The  answer  to  such  questions  lies  in  the  fact 
that  the  formation  of  large  accumulations  of  oil  depends  as  much 
upon  the  presence  of  suitable  strata  to  receive  and  retain  them  as 
upon  an  adequate  source  of  supply.  In  the  minutely  diffused  state 
in  which  the  oil  was  originally  formed  it  was  wholly  without  value. 
Like  all  other  forms  of  mineral  wealth  it  had  to  be  concentrated  into 
reservoirs,  the  so-called  "pools"  of  the  oil»field,  before  it  could  be 
utilized  by  man.  The  thousands  of  bores  put  down  for  oil  and  gas 
in  Indiana,  Illinois  and  other  States  have  proven  that  four  conditions 
are  necessary  before  an  accumulation  and  preservation  of  oil  in  com- 
mercial quantities  can  take  place.  If  any  one  of  these  conditions  is 
absent,  a  dry  hole  or  salt  water  well  will  invariably  result.  These 
necessary  conditions  are: 

1.  A  porous  stratum  of  rock  to  form  a  reservoir. 

2.  An  impervious  cover  above  the  reservoir. 

3.  An  arched  or  anticlinal  structure  of  the  rock  in  which  the  reser- 
voir is  located. 

4.  A  pressure  behind  the  oil  to  force  it  into  the  reservoir. 

The  porous  stratum — The  Coal  Measure  sandstones  and  limestones 
of  southeastern  Illinois  vary  exceedingly  in  texture  and  porosity. 
Some  are  cross  grained,  with  large  spaces  between  the  grains;  others 
very  fine  grained  with  exceedingly  small  pores.     As  already  noted, 


BLATCHLEY.]  CONDITIONS   OF   ACCUMULATION.  27 

the  conditions  at  the  time  of  their  deposition  are  very  different  from 
that  when  the  Trenton  limestone  or  any  other  strictly  marine  deposit 
was  laid  down.  The  area  covered  by  any  one  highly  porous  stratum 
in  the  Carboniferous  rocks  is  apt  to  be  small  and  very  irregular  in 
outline.  There  are  evidently  many  small  areas  containing  porous 
reservoirs  instead  of  one  large  one.  These  porous  rocks  or  "oil  sands" 
occur  at  different  depths  and  vary  much  in  composition.  In  Clark 
county,  as  we  shall  see,  there  are  at  least  two,  and  probably  three, 
"sands,"  one  being  a  limestone  or  a  magnesium-calcium  carbonate, 
and  another  a  quite  pure  sandstone  or  silica.  For  this  reason  the 
boundaries  of  the  pools  containing  the  oil  bearing  strata  cannot  be 
located  except  by  more  extensive  wild-catting  than  is  necessary  in  a 
more  uniform  and  widely  distributed  formation  such  as  that  of  the 
Trenton  limestone  of  Indiana. 

Wherever  the  sandstones  or  limestones  become  close  grained  or 
merge  into  a  shale,  they  cease  to  be  oil  bearing  to  a  remunerative  ex- 
tent. The  change  from  an  area  containing  porous  rock  into  one 
almost  lacking  in  pores  is  often  abrupt.  It  is  only  the  former  which 
contains  the  oil,  and  there  is  not  known  method  of  determining  where 
the  porous  rock  occurs  except  by  drilling. 

The  impervious  cover — In  order  to  properly  retain  the  accumulated 
petroleum  the  porous  rock  must  be  entirely  covered  with  an  impervi- 
ous stratum,  i.e.,  one  through  which  neither  oil  nor  its  volatile  gas 
will  pass  or  can  be  forced  by  the  enormous  pressure  behind  it.  Such 
a  cover  is  usually  a  tine  grained  shale,  and  wherever  such  a  stratum 
covers  a  porous  rock  petroleum  in  greater  or  less  quantities  is  usually 
found.  In  the  main  Indiana  oil  field  the  Trenton  rock  is  covered  by 
an  average  thickness  of  250  feet  of  that  dark  brown,  close  grained  de- 
posit known  as  the  Utica  shale,  which  possesses  every  quality  of  a 
typical  impervious  cover.  In  the  southeastern  Illinois  field  there  are 
several  strata  of  the  Carboniferous  shales  above  the  oil  bearing  sands. 
These  vary  somewhat  in  color,  texture  and  thickness,  according  to 
the  particular  layer  of  productive  sand  which  they  cover.  In  part  of 
the  Clark  county  field  from  10  to  40  feet  of  a  black  bituminous  shale, 
known  as  "slate;"  which,  when  drilled,  resembles  a  pasty  coal,  over- 
lies the  oil  bearing  stratum,  which  is  a  limestone.  In  other  portions 
of  the  field  a  lighter  gray,  but  close  grained  shale  is  the  cover.  In 
general  these  shales  do  not  contain  free  oil,  though  a  certain  small 
percentage  could  probably  be  obtained  from  them  by  distillation.  If 
a  shale  or  other  impervious  cover  did  not  intervene  between  the  por- 
ous reservoir  and  the  surface,  the  oil  would  long  since  have  volatilized 
and  passed  off  as  escaping  natural  gas,  leaving  behind  a  tarry,  asphalt- 
like residue,  which  represents  the  solid  portion.  In  many  locatities 
in  the  United  States  sandstones  or  limestones  occur  which  are  highly 
impregnated  with  such  an  asphalt  substance.  These  dejoosits  are 
found  close  to  the  surface  with  no  shale  above  them.  Had  a  shale 
been  present,  the  strata  containing  the  tarry  substance  would  be  oil 
bearing.  Thousands  of  dollars  have  been  spent  in  drilling  such 
localities  in  search  of  an  oil  which  long  since  escaped  in  the  form  of 


28  THE   PETEOLEUM    INDUSTRY   OF    EASTERN    ILLINOIS.         [bull.  2 

When  the  oil  bearing  stratum  lies  close  to  the  surface,  with  only  a 
thin  shale  above  it,  a  heavy  lubricating  oil  results.  Such  an  oil,  reg- 
istering 20.8  degrees  Beaume,  is  found  in  Jasper  county,  Indiana, 
where  it  occurs  in  the  Corniferous  limestone  at  a  depth  of  only  100 
feet,  beneath  45  to  55  feet  of  close-grained  black  shale.  In  south- 
eastern Illinois,  the  depth  and  the  aggregate  thickness  of  the  layers 
of  overlying  shale  are  sufficient  to  have  prevented  any  great  volatili- 
zation of  the  oil,  so  that  it  has  a  specific  gravity  of  .870  to  .887  and 
registers  28  degrees  to  31  degrees  Beaume. 

The  anticlinal  structure — The  surface  of  an  oil  bearing  stratum  is 
not  level  as  many  people  suppose,  but,  like  the  surface  of  the  earth, 
is  a  series  of  alternating  arches  and  depressions  or  ridges  and  valleys. 
The  arches  or  domes  are  like  inverted  troughs  and  vary  much  in 
width  and  area,  as  do  also  the  depressions  between  them.  Wherever 
gas  and  oil  occur  they  will  be  found  in  a  porous  stratum  in  one  of  the 
arches  or  anticlines,  as  they  are  called.  If  a  bore  happens  to  be  put 
down  and  strikes  a  depression  or  syncline  between  the  arches,  salt 
water  will  usually  be  found.  If  both  gas  and  oil  are  present  in  a 
certain  area,  and  the  bore  strikes  the  Sank  or  side  of  the  arch,  oil 
will  result.  If  the  bore  strikes  the  crest  or  dome  of  the  arch,  gas  will 
flow.  The  cause  of  this  is  simple,  being  due  to  the  arrangement  of 
the  three  fluids  according  to  their  relative  weights.  When  the  oil 
was  first  formed,  it  was  pushed  or  carried  hither  and  thither  by  the 
heavier  salt  water  behind  it.  Much  of  it  was  carried  away  by  the 
water  and  lost,  but  wherever  one  of  the  porous  areas  existed  in  the 
side  or  top  of  an  anticline,  the  oil  was  carried  into  it  and  there  re- 
mained. 

During  the  ages  which  have  elapsed  much  of  the  oil  was  changed 
into  a  volatile  gas,  which  rose  into  the  higher  porous  portions  of  the 
anticlines  or  ridges  of  the  sandstone  or  limestone  strata.  As  this  gas 
accumulated,  it  pressed  back  the  remaining  oil  into  the  sides  or 
flanks  of  the  arch.  The  oil  being  lighter  than  the  water,  rested  upon 
the  latter  and  prevented  it  from  rising  into  the  higher  porous  por- 
tions of  the  stratum.  When  a  bore  is  put  down  and  strikes  gas  the 
latter  will  flow  until  the  quantity  which  is  stored  in  the  porous  area 
of  the  articline  is  exhausted,  when  the  oil,  if  any  be  present  on  the 
flanks  or  lower  portions  of  the  porous  stratum,  will  rise  in  the  gas 
well.  It  may  be  that  the  oil  has  been  carried  by  the  salt  water  into 
the  porous  portions  of  another  anticline,  and  that  only  salt  water  oc- 
curs beneath  the  gas.  If  this  be  true,  the  water  will  fill  the  porous 
reservoir  as  soon  as  the  gas  is  exhausted. 

The  anticlines  vary  much  in  size,  their  domes  running  from  scores 
of  miles  down  to  a  half  mile  or  less  in  width.  The  gas  in  the  higher 
part  of  each  anticline  is,  therefore,  often  shut  off  from  that  in  neigh- 
boring anticline  by  the  intervening  oil  or  water,  or  both.  In  the 
same  way  the  oil  in  an  anticline  which  contains  oil  only  may  be  shut 
off  from  that  in  another  anticline  by  the  salt  water  filling  all  the 
porous  portions  of  the  syncline  between.  It  often  happens  that  a  gas 
bore  is  put  down  which   strikes  the  crest  of  a  narrow  anticline  or 


BLATCHLEY.]  OIL     PRESSUEE.  29 

raised  portion  of  porous  rock  which  has  not  before  been  pierced.  As 
a  result,  the  so-called  rock  pressure  of  the  gas  is  at  first  high,  but 
rapidly  declines  on  account  of  the  small  size  of  the  anticline. 

In  the  Illinois  oil  fields  the  production  of  a  new  well  can  usually 
be  foretold  by  the  depth  at  which  the  top  of  the  saad  or  oil  bearing 
rock  is  found.  If  it  is  from  five  to  ten  feet  higher  then  the  average 
in  the  nearby  productive  wells,  the  chances  are  that  it  will  yield  much 
gas  and  little  oil.  On  the  other  hand,  if  the  sand  is  struck  10  to  15 
feet  lower  than  the  average,  the  bore  has  pierced  a  trough  or  syncline, 
and  a  salt  water  well  or  dry  hole  results.  Sometimes,  however,  there 
are  apparent  exceptions.  Of  two  wells  in  which  the  sand  is  found  at 
the  same  depth,  one  will  be  a  big  producer  and  the  other,  but  a  short 
distance  away,  a  "dry  hole."  The  only  explanation  which  can  be 
given  in  such  a  case  is  that  the  latter  has  pierced  a. close-grained  or 
non-porous  area  of  the  formation,  into  which  no  fluid  has  found  its 
way. 

The  pressure  behind  the  oil — Whenever  the  drill  pierces  a  stratum 
of  porous  rock  containing  oil,  the  latter  is  pushed  upward  by  the  so- 
called  "rock  pressure"  behind  it.  Sometimes  this  pressure  is  so  great 
that  when  the  oil  stratum  is  reached  the  oil  escapes  in  a  fountain, 
rising  high  above  the  derrick,  much  of  it  being  lost  before  the  flow 
can  be  controlled.  In  most  instances,  even  if  the  well  proves  to  be 
one  of  small  production,  the  oil  is  forced  upward  several  hundred  feet  in 
the  drill  hole.  As  noted  above,  this  rock  pressure  has,  in  the  past, 
had  much  to  do  with  the  accumulation  of  oil  in  jjorous  reservoirs. 

It  is  now  almost  universally  admitted  that  the  rock  pressure  in 
most  oil  fields  is  nothing  more  or  less  than  water  pressure,  as  in  ar- 
tesian wells,  the  water  entering  the  oil  bearing  stratum  at  some  point 
where  the  latter  outcrops  and  so  forming  a  head  or  source.  The 
porous  rock  contains  a  limited  amount  of  oil,  held  in  place  by  the  over- 
laying shale.  The  salt  water  is  below  this  oil,  ever  pressing  it  upward 
into  the  vent  furnished  by  the  drill  hole.  As  the  supply  of  oil  is 
gradually  lessened,  the  water  rises  to  fill  the  pores,  and  the  rock  pressure 
is  lowered.  The  pressure  does  not  tell  us  anything  about  the  volume  or 
amount  of  oil  stored  in  the  rock;  but  the  rate  of  diminution  of  pressure 
furnishes  an  excellent  index  of  the  rapidity  with  which  that  amount 
is  being  lessened.  When  the  supply  of  oil  is  exhausted,  as  it  naturally 
will  be  in  time,  there  is  no  source  from  which  it  can  be  renewed 
The  salt  water  will  rise  and  occupy  the  space  which  formerly  held  the 
oil  and  it  will  come  to  stay. 

Accompanying  salt  ivater — The  quantity  of  salt  water  in  the  oil- 
bearing  strata  of  the  Illinois  fields  is  not  as  great  as  in  those  of  Indiana 
and  other  states.  It  occurs,  however,  abundantly  in  the  porus  strata 
below  those  yielding  oil  and  gas,  and  when  once  encountered  in  quantity 
in  a  bore,  it  is  seldom  or  never  that  oil  is  found  beneath  it.  It  is  usually 
thought  that  a  much  greater  proportion  of  the  oil  can  be  secured  from  a 
productive  stratum  when  a  quantity  of  salt  water  is  present.  The  wells 
penetrating  it  are  usually  longer  lived,  as  the  salt  water  seems  to  re- 
new the  quantity  of  oil   by  bringing   it   in  from  quite   a   distance. 


30 


THE    PETROLEUM    INDUSTRY    OF   EASTERN    ILLINOIS.         [bull.  2 


Moreover,  the  water  seems  to  keep  the  pores  of  the  oil  rock  free  from 
paraffine  and  other  materials  which  have  a  tendency  to  clog  them  up, 
and  a  well  producing  four  or  five  barrels  of  water  a  day  in  connection 
with  the  oil,  is  preferred  by  many  operators  to  one  that  produces  oil 
alone. 

In  the  Illinois  field  salt  water  is  common,  but  not  troublesome.  A 
sample  from  the  wells  on  the  Charles  Lee  farm  (northeast  quarter 
section  8,  Parker  township,  Clark  county)  was  analysed  at  the  labora- 
tory of  the  State  Water  Survey  with  the  following  result: 


Analysis  of  the  Mineral  Content  of  the  Salt  Water  from  the  Oil 
Wells  Near  Westfield. 

LABORATORY  NO.  14238. 


Ions. 

Parts  per 
million. 

Potassium,  K                      .                                               ...                      

77  4 

Sodium,  Na .-     -   --        -. 

8.315 

Magnesium,   Mg 

Calcium,  Ca 

285  2 

291.6 

Iron,  Fe 

26.6 

Aluminium,  Al 

,6 

Nitrate,  NO3 

5.3 

Chlorine,  CI .                 

13, 424 

Sulphate,  SO4 

113.6 

Hypothetical  Combinations. 

Parts  per 
million. 

Grains  per 
gallon. 

Potassium  Nitrate,  KNO3 

8.6 

117.5 

21,103.1 

854.4 
131.2 

142.4 
728,9 
55.1 
t.2 
32.0 
80.0 

.50 

Potassium  Chloride,  KCl    ... 

8  59 

Sodium  Chloride.  NaCl 

1,230.95 

Magnesium  Chloride,  MgClj                                    

49.83 

Magnesium  Carbonate,  MgC03              •     ••         

7.65 

Magnesium  Sulphate ,  MgSO^ 

8,30 

Calcium  Carbonate,  CaCo^        

42.51 

Ferrous  Carbonate,  FeCos 

3.22 

Aluminium  Oxide,  Al^Oa  .          

.07 

Silica,  SiOo 

1.87 

Bases  with  Silica                                                                     

3.50 

Total                                                                                      ... 

23.264.4 

1,356.99 

Quantity  of  petroleum  to  the  acre. — If  the  amount  of  oil  obtained 
from  a  productive  sand  be  estimated  at  one  gallon  per  cubic  foot,  and 
the  sand  is  five  feet  in  thickness,  an  acre  (43,560  square  feet)  will 
yield  about  5,000  barrels  of  forty-two  gallons  each.  If  the  sand  reser- 
voirs be  exceptionally  thick  or  of  very  great  porosity,  the  production 
will  be  much  greater.  It  is  estimated  that  Spindle  Top  Hill,  in  Texas, 
produed  over  25,000,000  of  barrels  from  less  than  200  acres.  This, 
however,  was  a  low  grade  oil  with  an  asphalt  base.  Such  oils  are 
usually  more  abundant  in  limited  areas  than  those  of  higher  grade. 


BLATCHLEY.]  EXTENT    OF    POOLS.  81 

By  the  ordinary  processes  of  drilling  and  pumping  it  is  impossible 
to  get  all  the  oil  from  any  sand,  even  if  a  well  be  put  down  on  every 
five  acres.  One-fourth  or  more  will  probably  remain  in  the  rock,  held 
there  by  capillary  attraction,  which  neither  the  accompanying  gas  nor 
the  attraction  of  gravity  can  overcome. 

Pools  not  necessarily  connected.-^A  fallacy  which  should  not  gain 
credence  among  would-be  operators  in  the  Illinois  field  is  that  oil 
fields  or  pools  run  in  lines,  and  that  one  field  is  connected  with  all 
others,  the  oil  flowing  from  one  to  the  other  through  a  continuous 
strip  of  porous  rock.  This  may  in  part  be  true  in  the  Pennsylvania 
and  West  Virginia  oil  regions,  but  it  is  wholly  untrue  in  the  Trenton 
limestone  area  of  Ohio  and  Indiana,  or  in  the  Carboniferous  rock  area 
of  southeastern  Illinois.  While  all  the  so-called  pools  of  the  Illinois 
field  will  be  found  in  the  anticlines  of  the  Carboniferous  formation, 
they  are  not  necessarily  connected,  nor  do  the  anticlines  run  in 
straight  lines.  From  what  has  been  said  about  the  origin  of  the  Car- 
boniferous rocks  of  southeastern  Illinois  it  will  be  seen  that  a  pool 
may  be  of  any  shape,  and  may  lie  in  any  direction  from  any  other 
pool.  Its  boundaries  may  be  straight  or  sinuous ;  its  area  one  square 
mile  or  1,000  square  miles.  It  the  conditions  necessary  for  the  stor- 
ing of  petroleum,  namely  a  porous  reservoir,  located  in  the  fiank  or 
dome  of  an  anticline,  with  an  impervious  cover  above  it  and  a  water 
pressure  below  it,  have  been  present  in  the  past  the  oil  will  very  likely 
be  found,  whatever  the  shape,  size  or  relative  location  as  to  other 
similar  reservoirs.  If  any  one  of  these  conditions  is  lacking  or  has 
been  lacking  the  bore  is  sure  to  be  a  dry  hole.  Inasmuch  as  the  top 
of  the  oil  bearing  strata  in  the  Illinois  field  is  everywhere  from  300 
to  1,000  feet  below  the  surface,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  problem  of 
locating  in  advance  a  paying  well  is  a  diflacult  one. 

Dry  holes  and  condemned  territory — The  distribution  of  the  oil 
bearing  strata  in  the  Illinois  fields  is  such  that  isolated  bores 
which  are  dry  or  very  small  producers  should  not  condemn  a  large 
territory.  While  the  average  operator  is  always  in  search  of  big 
wells,  and  is  inclined  to  reject  territory  where  wells  come  in  for 
ten  barrels  or  less,  it  should  be  remembered  that  small  wells 
which  are  stayers  or  long  time  producers  yield  the  larger  profit. 
A  dry  hole  within  a  reasonable  distance  of  a  fair  or  good  producer 
should  not,  therefore,  condemn  a  square  mile  or  more  of  the  area 
about  it.  From  what  could  be  learned  of  the  areas  already  partly 
drilled  in  Clark  county  at  least,  a  bore  is  a  test  for  but  one  location; 
that  is  for  an  area  of  but  a  few  acres  about  the  well.  Inside  of  known 
productive  territory,  as  far  as  it  has  been  defined  by  the  drill,  the 
number  of  dry  holes  is  much  fewer  in  the  Casey  field  than  in  the 
average  Trenton  rock  field  of  Indiana.  Most  of  the  dry  holes  which 
have,  up  to  the  present,  been  sunk,  have  been  wildcat  ventures  in 
wholly  virgin  territory.  It  is  probable  that  a  number  of  them  would 
have  been  productive  had  they  been  put  down  to  greater  depths,  in- 
stead of  stopping  after  penetrating  what  was  supposed  to  be  the  Casey 
sand. 


c52.  THE    PETROLEUM    INDUSTRY   OF   EASTERN    ILLINOIS.         [bull.  2 

Experience  has  proven  that  the  Illinois  operator,  like  those  in  every 
other  field,  is  taking  chances  with  every  bore  he  sinks.  He  has  no 
way  of  knowing  beforehand  what  the  results  will  be.  He  may  pierce 
the  center  of  a  reservoir  and  get  a  300  barrel  well ;  he  may  strike  near 
its  outer  rim  and  get  a  ten  barrel  well;  he  may  miss  it  altogether  and 
get  a  dry  hole.  One  thing  he  can  rely  npon  if  he  strikes  a  productive 
well,  and  that  is,  that  he  is  drawing  upon  a  stored  i)roduct  which  is 
not  now  being  formed  in  the  rock  from  which  it  is  drawn,  and  that, 
therefore,  he  must  eventually  exhaust  the  stock  of  oil  from  the  im- 
mediate vicinity  of  his  bore. 

Surface  indications — In  Illinois,  as  in  Indiana,  there  are  abso- 
lutely no  surface  indications  which  denote  the  presence  of  either 
gas  or  oil  in  paying  quantities  in  the  underlying  rocks.  Gas  and 
oil  are  found  in  commercial  quantities  in  th^,  southeastern  field 
only  at  depths  ranging  from  300  to  1,100  fe^t  below  the  surface, 
and  the  conditions  are  such  that  no  man  can.  with  certainty,  locate 
in  advance  a  productive  well  in  any  port  m  of  the  field.  In 
many  places  bubbles  of  gas  may  be  noted  as  escaping  from  some 
pond,  spring  or  stream;  or  a  scum  of  oil  be  fqund  floating  upon 
the  surface  of  some  pool  of  water.  To  the  average  beholder  these 
are  thought  to  be  ''  surface  indications  "  of  a  larger  supply  beneath. 
As  noted  above,  however,  there  is  always  found  between  the 
formation  containing  the  oil  or  gas  in  commercial  quantities,  and 
the  surface,  one  or  more  close  grained  shales  which  are  wholly 
impervious  to  both  gas  and  oil;  i.  e.,  no  particle  of  either  of 
these  fluids  can  find  its  way  through  them.  In  fact,  such  a  shale  is 
an  absolute  necessity  to  the  presence  of  a  commercial  body  of  either 
gas  or  oil,  or  else  both  of  these  would  long  sisce  have  found  their 
way  upward  into  the  atmosphere.  The  bubbles  of  gas,  which  may 
be  seen  escaping  from  the  water  are,  in  almost  every  instance,  marsh 
gas,  which  is  formed  by  decaying  organic  matter  at  the  bottom  of  the 
water,  or  in  some  deposit  of  carbonaceous  material  near  by.  The 
oil  has  exuded  in  minute  quantities  from  some  shale,  clay,  limestone 
or  sandstone,  as  all  such  rocks  contain  some  oil.  But  a  drop  or  two 
is  necessary  to  form  many  square  feet  of  film  or  scum  over  the  sur- 
face of  a  spring  or  pool.  In  many  instances  the  supposed  oil  on  the 
surface  of  a  spring  is  not  oil,  but  a  brownish  yellow  precipitate  of 
iron  oxide. 

Again,  the  oil  producing  rocks  of  Illinois  follow  no  definite  direc- 
tion, as  in  some  other  states.  There  is  no  northwest-southeast,  or 
northeast-southwest  axis  or  trend  of  30,  45  or  any  other  number  of 
degrees  which  the  intelligent  operator  can  follow  and  sink  a  produc- 
tive bore  ninety-five  +imes  out  of  a  hundred.  His  operations  in  the 
State  must  always  have  an  element  of  chance  connected  with  them. 
If  he  keeps  well  within  the  bounds  of  productive  territory  his  chances 
of  failure  are  much  fewer  than  if  wild-catting  on  the  outside  of  such 
limits.  But  on  the  best  area  known  within  the  bounds  of  productive 
territory  an  occasional  bore  will  come  in  dry. 


ILLINOIS    GEOLOGICAL    SURVEY. 


Bun.  Xo.  2,  PL  2. 


MANZ-CHICAGO 


Map  showing  Oil  and  Gas  Fields  of  southeastern  Illinois.    Scale  8  miles  to  the  inch. 


BLATCHLEY.]  GEOLOGY   OF   CLAEK   COUNTY.  H3 

One  fallacy  believed  by  a  number  of  intelligent  operators  in  the 
Casey  field  is  that  that  field  will  be  found  to  extend  to  the  northeast- 
ward and  connect  up  with  the  shallow  developments  in  the  Cornifer- 
ous  rocks  of  Jasper  county,  Indiana,  Anyone  with  the  slightest 
knowledge  of  geology  should  know  that  this  is  impossible.  The 
Corniferous  rocks  belong  to  the  Dovonian  age  and  were  in  existence 
millions  of  years  before  those  of  southeastern  Illinois  were  formed. 
They  dip  strongly  to  the  south  westward  and,  if  represented  near 
Casey,  are  1,700  or  more  feet  below  the  surface.  Neither  is  the  Casey 
sand  continuous  with  or  synonymous  with  that  found  ]Droductive  near 
Princeton,  Indiana,  the  latter  being  a  Huron  sandstone  of  Lower 
Carboniferous  age.  The  belief  in  some  kind  of  a  northeast  or  south- 
east line  is  probably  largely  responsible  for  the  erroneous  opinion 
that  the  Princeton,  Casey  and  Jasper  county  fields  will  be  found 
continuous. 


SYSTEMATIC  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  OIL  FIELDS. 

Claek  County. 

GEOLOGY. 

This  county  lies  on  the  eastern  border  of  the  State,  between  Edgar 
and  Crawford  counties,  and  is  bordered  on  the  west  by  Coles  and 
Cumberland  counties.  It  is  21  miles  in  length  from  north  to  south 
and  26  miles  in  greatest  width,  its  area  being  515  square  miles.  The 
western  part  of  the  county  is  either  prairie  or  gently  rolling,  while 
the  eastern  portion  is  more  broken,  especially  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
Wabash  bluffs,  where  it  becomes  quite  hilly,  and  is  often  broken  into 
steep  ridges  along  the  courses  of  the  small  streams. 

The  principal  streams  in  the  western  part  of  the  county  are  North 
Fork,  which  traverses  the  county  from  north  to  south,  and  empties  in- 
to the  Embarras  river  in  the  eastern  part  of  Jasper  county.  Through- 
out nearly  its  whole  course  it  runs  through  a  broad,  flat  valley  a^fford- 
ing  no  exposures  of  the  underlying  rocks.  The  bluffs  on  either 
side  are  composed  of  drift  clays,  and  rise  from  30  to  50  feet  or  more 
above  the  valley.  At  several  points  where  wells  have  been  sunk  these 
clays  and  underlying  quicksands  are  found  to  extend  to  an  equal 
depth  beneath  the  bed  of  the  stream.  In  the  eastern  part  of  the 
county  Big  creek,  and  two  or  three  of  less  note,  after  a  general  south- 
east course  in  this  county,  empty  into  the  Wabash  river. 

"The  Quarternary  system  is  represented  in  this  county  by  the  alJu- 
vial  deposits  of  the  river  and  creek  valleys,  the  losses  of  the  Wabash 
bluffs,  the  gravelly  clays  and  hardjDan  of  the  true  drift,  and  the  un- 
derlying stratified  sands  that  are  sometimes  found  immediately  above 
the  bed  rock.  The  drift  deposits  proper  vary  in  thickness  from  20  to 
75  feet  or  more,  the  upper  portion  being  usually  a  yellow   gravelly 

— 3  GS 


64:  THE    PETEOLEUM    INDUSTRY    OF    EASTERN    ILLINOIS.  [BULL.  2 

clay,  with  local  beds  or  pockets  of  sands.  The  lower  division  is  main- 
ly composed  of  a  bluish-gray  hardpan,  exceedingly  tough  and  hard  to 
penetrate,  usually  impervious  to  water,  and  from  30  to  50  feet  in 
thickness.  This  is  underlain  by  a  few  feet  of  sand,  from  which  an 
abundant  supply  of  water  can  be  had  where  it  cannot  be  found  at  a 
higher  level."* 

Three  railways  furnish  fair  means  of  transportation,  viz.:  The 
Vandalia  Division  of  the  Pennsylvania,  running  south  of  west  across 
the  full  width  near  the  center;  the  Danville  and  Cairo  Division  of 
the  Big  Four  from  north  to  south  across  the  eastern  third,  and  the 
Sidell  and  Olney  Division  of  the  Cincinnati,  Hamilton  &  Dayton, 
north  and  south  near  the  western  boundary.  The  elevation  in  feet 
above  tide  of  the  principal  railway  stations  in  the  county  are  as  fol- 
lows: Auburn,  619;  Casey,  645;  Dennison,  571;  Farrington,  565; 
Marshall,  614;  Marshall  Junction,  613;  Martinsville,  568 ;  Martinsville 
Weather  Bureau,  575. 

Although  several  hundred  bores  have  been  sunk  in  Clark  county  to 
the  oil  bearing  strata  or  below,  it  was  impossible  to  secure  a  record 
of  any  one  of  them  which  showed  in  detail  the  character  of  the  strata 
passed  through.  The  driller  calls  them  shales,  slates,  sandstones,  etc., 
but  keeps  no  accurate  record  of  their  thickness  or  sequence.  The 
operator  keeps  a  careful  record  of  the  amount  of  iron  pipe  used  in 
each  bore,  the  distance  to  the  top  of  the  oil  bearing  rock  or  sand,  its 
thickness  and  the  total  depth  of  the  well.  These  are  the  only  records 
in  which  he  is  interested  and  are,  for  the  most  part,  the  only  ones 
which,  are  given  in  the  pages  which  follow.  They  have  a  practical 
meaning  to  the  operator  if  not  to  the  geologist,  and  as  this  report  is 
prepared  mainly  for  the  use  of  those  who  are  trying  to  develop  the 
field,  it  is  hoped  that  it  will  be  of  sufficient  value  to  justify  their  pub- 
lication. 

In  his  report  on  the  geology  of  Clark  county,  Prof.  A.  H.  Worthen 
gave  a  general  section  of  the  Coal  Measure  rocks  of  the  county, 
as  follows: 

General  Section  of  the  Coal  Measures  of  Clark  County. 

Thickness,  Total 

Feet.  Feet. 

1  Sandstone,  nowhere  found  well  exposed 30  to  40  30  to   40 

2  Quarry  Creek  and  Martinsville  limestone 20  to  30  50  to   70 

3  Shales,  lower  part  bituminous 10  to  15  60  to    85 

4  Coal  (No.  14?) 1  61  to    87 

5  Shaly  fire  clay 2  to    3  63  to    89 

6  vS.andstone  and  shale,  some  bands  of  iron  carbonate 18  to  20  81  to  109 

7  Bituminous  shale 1  to    2  82  to  111 

8  Coal(No.l4?) 1  83toll2 

9  Clay  shale  and  fire  clay 4  to    6  87  to  118 

10  Cinnamon-brown  limestone 3  90  to  122 

11  Coaldocal?) 0  90  to  122 

12  Sandy  shales  passing  into  massive  sandstone  below 40  to  50  130  to  172 

13  Dark  shales  with  nodules  of  fossiliferous  limestone 5  to   8  135  to  180 

14  Hard  black  shale  approaching  cannel  coal 1  to   3  136  to  183 

15  Evenly  bedded  sandstone 20  to  25  156  to  208 

16  Greenish  sandy  shales 20  to  40  186  to  248 

17  Sandstone 8  to  10  194  to  258 

18  Gray  limestone 5  to    8  199  to  266 

19  Shale  enclosing  a  6  to  10  inch  coal  (No.  12?) 7  to   8  206  to  274 


*Worthen,  111.  Geol.  Survey,  vol.  7,  pp.  9,  10. 


BLATCHLEY.J 


OIL    BEARING    ROCK.  35 


General  Section  of  the  Coal  Measures  of  Clark  County. — Concluded. 

Thickness,  Total 

Feet.  Feet. 

20  Limestone,  lower  bed  at  Livingston 7  to   8  213  to  282 

21  Argillaceous  and  sandy  shales 30  to  35  243  to  317 

22  Coal  (No.  11?) 6  in.  to  1  243  to  318 

23  Brown  and  gray  sandstone 24  267  to  .342 

24  Shale,  lower  part  bituminous 2.5  292  to  367 

25  Coal,  local 0  292  to  268 

26  Whitefireclay 3  295  to  371 

27  Green  fire  clay 3  298  to  373 

28  Shale  and  sandstone 36  .3.34  to  410 

29  Chocolate-brown  impure  limestone 3  to  4  337  to  414 

30  Bituminous  shale 3  to   6  340  to  420 

31  CoalNo.lO 1  34lto421 

32  Drab  colored  shales 30  to  40  371  to  461 

33  Compact  brownish-gray  limestone* 4  to   5  ,375  to  466 

34  Green,  blue  and  red  clay  shales 10  to  12  385  to  478 

35  Sandstone 12  to  15  397  to  493 

36  Argillaceous  and  sandy  shales 45  to  50  432  to  543 

37  Bituminous  shale 1  to    2  443  to  .545 

38  CoalNo.7 5  448  to  550 

Of  the  above  section  Professor  Worthen  wrote:  "All  the  rocks 
found  in  Clark  county  belong  to  the  Coal  Measures,  and  include  all 
the  beds  from  the  limestone  No.  38  that  lies  about  75  feet  above  coal 
No.  7,  to  the  sandstonef  No.  1  above  the  Quarry  Creek  limestone, 
and  possibly  coal  No.  14  of  the  general  section.  These  beds  are  all 
above  the  main  workable  coals,  and  although  they  include  a  total 
workable  thickness  of  about  400  feet,  and  the  horizon  of  five  or  six 
coal  seams,  yet  none  of  them  have  been  found  in  this  county  more 
than  from  12  to  18  inches  in  thickness." 

With  the  three  limestones  Nos.  2, 18  and  20  of  Professor  Worthen's 
section  we  are  especially  interested,  since  No.  2  forms  a  level  from 
which  we  can  guage  the  approximate  depth  to  the  oil  bearing  strata 
of  the  county,  ivhile  No.  20  is  the  principal  oil  hearing  rock  of  the 
Westfield-Casey  pool,  and  No.  18.  where  sufficiently  porus,  yields  part 
or  all  of  the  gas  found  in  the  bores. 

It  will  be  noted  that  Professor  Worthen  does  not  give  any  drift  or 
surface  material  above  his  rocks.  This  drift  varies  in  thickness  in 
the  different  parts  of  the  field,  but  its  thickness  at  any  one  point  is 
closely  guaged  by  the  number  of  feet  of  drive  pipe  given  in  the  well 
records.  This  drive  pipe,  which  is  the  first  and  larger  pijje  put  down, 
is  usually  ten,  though  sometimes  eight  inches  in  diameter,  and  it  sel- 
dom penetrates  more  than  two  or  three  feet  of  the  upper  stratum  of 
rock,  and  more  often  rests  directly  on  it.  It  will  also  be  noted  that 
the  distance  from  the  top  of  No.  1  to  the  top  of  No.  20  of  Professor 
Worthen's  section  is  from  204  to  271  feet.  If  in  the  main  Westfield- 
Casey  pool  the  length  of  drive  pipe  be  added  to  270,  the  sum  will,  in 
most  cases,  be  within  a  few  feet  of  the  distance  to  "top  of  sand,"  given 
in  the  well  records. 

Moreover,  as  already  noted,  the  stratum  just  above  the  oil  sand  in 
this  field  is  a  black,  close  grained,  pasty  shale,  resembling  coal.  This 
is  represented  by  No.  19  of  the  section,  which  gives:  "Shale,  enclosing 

*This  limestone  is  about  75  to  80  feet  above  the  coal  in  the  shaft  just  across  the  river  from 
Terre  Haute,  which  is  No.  7  of  the  Illinois  section,  and  the  intervening  beds  would  give  the 
continuation  of  the  section  if  carried  down  to  the  horizon  of  this  coal,  but  they  do  not  come  to 
the  surface  in  Clark  county. 

fThis  sandstone  is  very  likely  a  sandy  shale  in  many  places,  as  a  number  of  the  drillers 
report  the  first  rock  struck  in  the  bores  to  be  a  '  'slate"  or  Sand  slate."— W.  S.  B. 


36  THE    PETEOLEUM    INDUSTRY    OF   EASTEEN    ILLINOIS.         [bull.  2 

a  6  to  10- inch  coal,  7  to  8  feet  in  thickness,"  as  occupying  that  hori- 
zon. The  black  shale  and  coal,  when  pounded  up  by  the  drill,  moist- 
ened and  bailed  out,  cannot  be  distinguished  one  from  the  other.  By 
some  of  the  drillers  the  mixture  is  called  coal  and  by  others  black 
shale.  Taking  the  above  facts  into  consideration,  there  is  no  doubt 
in  the  writer's  mind  but  that  Professor  Worthen's  No.  20,  or  Lower 
Livingstone  limestone,  is  the  oil  bearing  rock  of  the  Westfield-Casey 
pool. 

Of  the  three  limestones — Nos.  2,  18  and  20,  in  Clark  county.  Pro- 
fessor Worthen  wrote  as  follows:  Of  No.  2  he  said:  "The  beds  form- 
ing the  upper  part  of  the  general  section  in  this  county  are  exposed 
on  Quarry  creek  south  of  Casey,  and  one  mile  and  a  half  east  of 
Martinsville,  on  the  upper  course  of  Hurricane  creek,  and  the  Black- 
burn branch  southeast  of  Parker  prairie.  At  the  quarry  a  mile  and 
a  half  east  of  Martinsville,  the  limestone  is  heavy  bedded,  and  has 
been  extensively  quarried  for  bridge  abutments,  culverts,  etc.,  on  the 
old  National  road.  The  bed  is  not  fully  exposed  here,  and  seems  to 
be  somewhat  thinner  than  at  Quarry  creek,  where  it  probably  attains 
its  maximum  thickness,  but  thins  out  both  to  the  northeast  and 
southwest  from  that  point. 

"At  Quarry  creek,  about  a  mile  and  a  half  south  of  Casey,  on  sec- 
tion 28  (10  N.,  14  W.)  this  limestone  appears  in  full  force,  and  has 
been  extensively  quarried  both  for  building  stone  and  the  manufac- 
ture of  quicklime.  It  is  here  a  mottled  gray,  compact  limestone, 
partly  in  regular  beds  from  six  inches  to  two  feet  or  more  in  thick- 
ness. At  least  25  to  30  feet  of  limestone  is  exposed  here,  and  as  the 
overlying  sandstone  is  not  seen,  its  aggregate  thickness  may  be  even 
more  than  the  above  estimate.  At  its  base  the  limestone  becomes 
thin  bedded  and  shaly,  passing  into  a  greenish,  calcarious  shale  with 
thin  plates  and  nodules  of  limestone,  abounding  in  the  characteristic 
fossils  of  this  horizon.  At  one  point  on  this  creek  a  bed  of  green 
shale,  aboat  two  feet  in  thickness,  was  found  intercalated  in  the  lime- 
stone."* 

Of  Nos.  18  and  20,  the  Livingston  limestones  or  gas  and  oil  bearing 
strata,  he  wrote:  "Near  the  center  of  section  4  (9  N.,  12  W.)  the 
following  beds  were  found  on  Joe's  Fork,  above  the  site  of  the  old 
Anderson  mill: 

Section  on  Joe^s  Fork.'f 

Feet. 

12  Massive  sandstone,  the  same  seen  on  Hurricane  creek .' 25 

13  Dark  shale  with  nodules  of  limestone 5  to   8 

14  Blackshale 1  to   2 

15  Sandy  shale  and  evenly  bedded  sandstone 20  to  25 

16  Greenish  colored  sandy  shales 35  to  40 

17  Hard  concretionary  sandsiones  with  softer  beds  below 8  to  10 

18  Gray  sparry  limestone 5 

19  Shale  with  10  inch  seam  of  coal 8 

20  Brownish  gray,  hard  brittle  limestone 7  to   8 


*Geol.  Surv.  of  111.,  Vol.  6,  1875,  pp.  12-13. 

t  I  have  numbered  the  strata  to  correspond  with  the  numbers  given  the  same  strata  in  the 
county  section.    W.  S.  B. 


BLATCHLEY.]  LIVINGSTON    LIMESTONE.  87 

"The  above  includes  Nos.  12  to  20  of  the  county  section.  The  lime- 
stones at  the  base  of  the  above  section  are  the  equivalents  of  the 
Livingston  limestones  hereafter  described,  and  they  pass  below  the 
bed  of  the  creek  here  about  a  mile  above  the  old  mill.  The  sandstone 
overlying  the  upper  limestone  here,  when  evenly  bedded,  is  quarried 
for  building  stone  and  affords  a  very  good  and  durable  material  of 
this  kind  for  common  use.  At  the  mouth  of  Joe's  Fork  the  lower 
limestone  is  partly  below  the  creek  bed,  the  upper  four  feet  only  being 
visible,  and  above  it  we  find  clay  shale  2  feet,  coal  10  inches,  shale  5 
to  6  feet,  succeeded  by  the  upper  limestone  which  is  here  only  three 
or  four  feet  thick.  The  upper  limestone  at  the  outcrop  here  is  thinly 
and  unevenly  bedded  and  weathers  to  a  rusty  brown  color.  The  lower 
limestone  is  more  heavily  bedded,  but  splits  to  fragments  on  exposure 
to  frost  and  moisture.  It  is  of  a  mottled  gray  color  when  freshly 
broken,  but  weathers  to  a  yellowish  brown. 

"At  the  railroad  bridge  northwest  of  Livingston  the  following  sec- 
tion may  be  seen: 

Section  at  Railroad  Bridge  Northwest  of  Livingston. 

Feet.    Inches. 

18  Gray  sparry  limestone 7 

19  Blue  shale 6 

20  Gray  limestone,  heavy  bedded 5 

21  Sandstone  and  sandy  shale 30  to  40 

22  Thin  coal  (reported) 0  6 

"The  upper  bed  of  limestone  (No.  18  of  the  county  section)  is 
traversed  by  veins  of  calcite  and  brown  ferruginous  streaks  that  give 
the  rock  a  mottled  appearance  when  freshly  broken.  The  upper 
layer  of  the  lower  bed  is  about  thirty  inches  thick  and  is  a  tough, 
compact,  gray  rock  that  breaks  with  an  even  surface  and  has  a  slight- 
ly granular  or  semi-oolitic  appearance.  The  lower  part  of  this  bed  is 
a  mottled  gray  fine  grained  limestone  and  breaks  with  a  more  or  less 
conchoidal  fracture.  The  fossils  found  in  the  limestone  here  were 
Athyris  suhtilita,  Productus  costatus,  P.  nebrascensis,  Pinna,  per- 
acuta,  Spirifer  earner atus,  S.  plano-convexus  and  joints  of  Crinoidea. 
The  upper  division  of  this  limestone  thins  out  entirely  about  a  mile 
above  the  bridge  and  passes  into  a  green  shale  like  that  by  which  the 
limestones  are  separated. 

"The  following  section  is  seen  about  one  mile  above  the  railroad 
bridge  in  the  creek  bluffs  and  adjacent  hill  tops: 

Section  One  Mile  Above  the  Railroad  Bi'idge  at  Livingston. 

Feet. 

14  Covered  slope  with  tumbling  masses  of  Quarry  Creek  limestone 20 

15  Sandstone,  upper  part  massive,  with  shaly  beds  below 40  to  50 

16  Pebbly  sandstone S  to  10 

17  Green  clay  shales,  with  a  streak  of  coaly  matter 21 

18  Limestone,  upper  division  of  Livingston  bed 3  to    0 

19  Green  shale 3  to    5 

20  Limestone  (partial  exposure) 3 

"The  tumbling  masses  of  limestone  that  are  found  in  the  hill  tops 
hereaway  no  doubt  belong  to  the  Quarry  Creek  bed,  which  is  found 
in  partial  oucrops  not  more  than  half  a  mile  back  from  the  creek  and 


38  THE   PETROLEUM    INDUSTRY   OF    EASTERN    ILLINOIS.         [BULL.  2 

from  eighty  to  ninety  feet  above  its  level.  The  intervening  sand- 
stones and  shales  which  separate  these  limestones  in  the  north-east- 
ern part  of  Clark  county  are  much  thinner  than  where  they  outcrop 
on  Hurricane  and  Mill  creeks,  in  the  southern  portion,  indicating  a 
general  thinning  out  of  the  strata  below  the  Quarry  Creek  bed  to  the 
northward.  Sometimes  I  have  been  inclined  to  believe  that  this 
upper  limestone  was  unconformable  to  the  beds  below  and  its  disap- 
pearance beyond  Parker  Prairie  to  the  southwest,  where  the  apparent 
trend  of  its  outcrop  would  naturally  carry  it,  seems  to  strengthen  this 
conclusion,  but  the  outcrops  of  the  underlying  beds  are  so  partial  and 
widely  separated  that  it  is  difficult  to  determine  this  point  satisfac- 
torily. At  any  rate,  the  thickness  of  the  beds  between  these  lime- 
stones north  of  Livingston  does  not  exceed  seventy-five  or  eighty 
feet,  while  south  of  Martinsville  they  are  from  125  to  150  feet  apart, 
at  least,  showing  that  they  thin  out  rapidly  to  the  northward.  The 
upper  division  of  the  Livingston  limestone  can  be  seen  to  thin  out 
entirely  about  a  mile  north  of  the  railroad  bridge  northwest  of  Liv- 
ingston, and  the  other  division  must  also  disappear  before  reaching 
Edgar  county,  as  Professor  Bradley  failed  to  find  it  there,  as  will  be 
seen  in  his  report  on  that  county.  The  Quarry  Creek  limestone  is 
undoubtedly  the  same  bed  described  by  him  as  No.  '6  of  his  Edgar 
county  section;  and  if  the  Livingston  beds  extended  into  that  county 
they  would  be  found  not  more  than  sixty  to  seventy-five  feet  below 
his  No.  3.  Possibly  this  lower  limestone  may  be  represented  there 
by  his  No,  11,  which  is  described  as  a  'sandy  argillaceous  limestone, 
containing  pebbles  of  black  limestone  and  fragments  of  fossils,'  as  we 
have  nothing  in  Clark  county  that  can  be  correlated  with  that  unless 
it  is  one  or  both  divisions  of  the  Livingston  limestones.  The  dis- 
tance from  his  No.  3  down  to  coal  No.  7  he  makes  from  185  to  250 
feet,  while  in  Clark  county  the  distance  from  the  limestone  on  Quarry 
Creek  to  this  coal  is  from  350  to  400  feet."* 

OIL   WELLS. 

First  ivells  of  the  present  Casey  oil  field — In  1903,  Col.  L.  D. 
Carter,  of  Oakland,  111.,  who  was  familiar  with  the  early  attempts  to 
secure  oil  near  Oilfield,  Clark  county,  laid  the  facts  concerning  those 
attempts  before  Mr.  J.  J.  Hoblitzell  &  Son,  prominent  oil  operators  of 
Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  and  finally  induced  them  to  test  again,  with  modern 
methods  of  drilling,  the  territory  about  Oilfield,  After  leasing  a  large 
acreage,  the  first  bore  was  drilled  on  the  Young  farm,  near  Oilfield. 
In  April,  1904,  it  had  reached  a  depth  of  1,400  feet.  Both  oil  and  gas 
were  found,  but  the  oil  was  limited  in  quantity  and  was  shut  off,  while 
gas  from  the  bore  has  since  been  used  in  drilling  many  additional 
wells. 

A  second  well  was  soon  located  on  the  J .  S.  Phillips  farm,  in  the 
northeast  quarter  of  section  18,  Parker  township.  It  was  completed 
and  shot  on  Oct.  20,  1904,  its  initial  production  being  thirty-five  bar- 
rels of  oil  per  day.  From  that  day  to  the  present  the  Casey  field  has 
been  in  active  operation. 


Loc.  Cit.  pp.  15-17. 


ILLINOIS    GEOLOGICAL    SURVEY 


rhe  Clark  county  oil  li 


Bull.  No.  2.  PI.  3. 


T.fl2N.-= 


.    Scale  2  miles  to  the  inch. 


BLACHLY.]  OIL    WELLS.  B9 

Westfield  township — This  civil  township  corresponds  to  the  lower 
half  of  congressional  township  12  north,  14  west,  comprising  sections 
19  to  36.  The  town  of  Westfield,  in  sections  29  and  30.  is  situated  on 
a  morainic  ridge  which  rises  fifty  or  more  feet  above  the  level  plain 
to  the  south,  on  which  most  of  the  wells  of  the  Parker  township  field 
are  located.  It  is  only  along  the  north  border  of  this  plain,  near  the 
south  line  of  the,  township,  in  sections  32  and  33,  that  oil  in  com- 
mercial quantities  has  been  found  in  the  township. 

A  bore  on  the  White  lease,  in  the  southw^est  quarter  of  section  20, 
developed  a  big  flow  of  salt  water  in  a  limestone  at  a  depth  of  475 
feet.  Just  above  the  regular  oil  bearing  stratum,  said  to  have  been 
struck  at  440  feet,  there  was  a  "white  sand,"  25  feet  in  thickness. 
Only  a  light  show  of  oil  was  found. 

On  the  southwest  quarter  of  the  northwest  quarter  of  section  24,  a 
dry  hole  was  also  drilled,  the  top  of  the  sand*  being  found  at  353  feet. 

A  third  dry  hole  was  drilled  in  the  town  of  Westfield,  in  the  north- 
east quarter  of  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  30,  in  which  a  barren 
black  sand  was  found  at  509  feet.  Still  another  dr}^  hole  was  drilled 
on  the  edge  of  the  plain  in  the  southwest  quarter  of  the  southeast 
quarter  of  section  31,  the  sand  being  found  at  340  feet.  No  record  of 
the  amount  of  drive  pipe  or  thickness  of  drift  of  these  four  dry  holes 
was  obtainable,  hence  it  is  impossible  to  locate  the  stratum  in  which 
the  drill  stopped. 

A  number  of  light  producers  have  been  drilled  on  the  Endsley, 
Barlow  and  James  farms  along  the  south  line  of  section  32.  On  the 
Barlow  farm  of  twenty  acres  the  No.  2  bore  in  the  northeast  corner 
had  the  following  record: 

Feet. 

8    -  inch  drive  pipe 52 

6J^-inch  casing 215 

4^s-inch  casing .335 

Top  of  sand 333 

Total  depth 396 

The  sand  was  penetrated  30  to  35  feet  before  striking  oil,  and  the 
oil  bearing  sand  continued  to  the  bottom.  Another  bore  on  the 
Endsley  farm  developed  gas  at  321,  oil  at  331  to  337,  and  stopped  in 
a  shale  at  392  feet,  the  cover  of  drift  being  about  the  same  as  in  the 
preceding. 

Six  or  seven  light  wells  which  are  farther  east  than  any  other  pro- 
ducers in  Westfield  township,  are  located  on  the  S.  James  lease,  in 
the  southwest  quarter  of  section  33.     A  record  of  No.  4  showed: 

Feet, 

8    -inch  drive  pipe 'l 

6M-inch  casing 308 

Top  of  sand 32a 

Total  depth 387 

A  black  shale  here  overlies  the  sand.  The  above  records  show 
that  the  oil  producing  limestone  dips  to  the  west  from  this  point,  at 
the  rate  of  about  15  feet  to  the  mile. 

No  drilling  has  been  done  in  section  34.  In  the  east  half  of  the 
northwest  quarter  of  section  35,  a  dry  hole  on  the  Cornwell  lease 
found  the  top  of  sand  at  378  feet;  the  elevation  and  thickness  of  drift 

*  Unless  otherwise  mentioned,  the  term  ' '  sand  "  in  this  field  denotes  the  gray  limestone 
producing  oil  in  Westfield  and  Parker  townships. 


40  THE   PETROLEUM    INDUSTRY   OF    EASTERN    ILLINOIS.         [bull.  2 

not  being  known.  On  the  J.  Bennett  lease,  near  the  center  of  sec- 
tion 36,  the  drift  was  160  feet  in  thickness.  At  258  feet  a  supply  of 
gas  sufficient  to  pipe  several  houses  was  developed.  The  oil  bearing 
limestone  found  at  4-40  feet,  was  hard,  non-porous  and  barren.  The 
bore  was  continued  to  a  depth  of  540  feet,  where  a  salt-water  sand 
was  encountered.  No  records  of  coal  veins  were  obtained  from  any 
of  the  wells  drilled  in  Westlield  township. 

The  dry  holes  mentioned  as  having  been  drilled  in  sections  20,  24, 
35  and  36  have  stopped  farther  developments  in  the  northern  and 
eastern  parts  of  the  township.  As  no  surface  levels  were  run,  it  is 
possible  that  only  the  upper  limestone,  No.  18,  was  reached  in  some 
of  the  bores. 

Dolson  township. — This  civil  township  lies  east  of  Westfield  and 
the  north  half  of  Parker  townships,  and  embraces  the  south  half  of 
congressional  township  12  north,  13  west,  and  the  north  half  of  11 
north,  13  west.  No  oil  is  being  produced  within  its  bounds,  and  as 
far  as  can  be  learned,  but  two  bores  have  been  drilled.  One  of  these, 
a  dry  hole,  on  the  southeast  quarter  of  the  northeast  quarter  of  sec- 
tion 8,  is  said  to  have  passed  through  a  seven  foot  vein  of  coal  just 
above  the  oil  sand,  the  latter  being  struck  at  508  feet.  This  "coal" 
was  doubtless  the  black  shale  No.  19  of  the  section.  Another  dry 
hole  was  finished  near  the  north  line  of  the  township,  on  the  south- 
east quarter  of  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  21,  in  which  the  sand 
was  struck  at  400  feet.  These  records,  taken  by  Mr.  Lewis,  count  for 
lit  tie,  as  neither  the  difference  in  elevation  nor  the  thickness  of  the 
drift  is  known.  One  is  by  no  means  certain,  therefore,  that  the 
"sand"  belongs  to  the  same  stratum  in  both  wells. 

A  third  bore  was  recorded  by  Mr.  Lewis  as  having  been  sunk  on 
the  Burns  lease,  four  miles  east  of  the  east  line  of  section  24,  Dolson 
township,  to  a  depth  of  1,500  teet.     No  other  record  was  available. 

Parker  townshi]). — This  civil  township,  corresponding  to  congress- 
ional township  11  north,  14  west,  contains  the  most  productive  devel- 
oped territory  in  the  Casey  oil  field.  During  the  month  of  April, 
1906,  39  bores  were  completed  within  its  bounds,  all  of  which  were 
productive.  The  total  initial  output  was  1,265  barrels,  an  average  of 
32.5  barrells  to  the  well,  which  is  a  most  excellent  record.  All  the 
oil  in  this  township,  except  that  from  a  few  bores  along  its  southern 
margin,  is  found  in  a  grayish  magnesian  limestone.  Under  the  glass, 
chunks  of  this  stone  shot  from  the  well  show  numerous  pores,  and  in 
some  pieces  cavities  easily  seen  with  the  naked  eye  appear,  which  are 
lined  with  crystals  of  quartz  and  iron  pyrites. 

The  principal  production  is  in  the  west  half  of  the  township,  the 
eastern  half  showing  only  a  few  light  wells  and  a  number  of  dry 
holes.  The  surface  of  the  western  half  is,  for  the  most  part,  a  level 
prairie,  occupying  a  wide  valley  which  Jies  between  the  North  Fork 
and  the  East  Branch  of  Hurricane  creek.  The  eastern  half  is  more 
broken  by  the  erosion  of  the  tributaries  of  the  North  Fork. 

No  drilling  has  been  done  in  sections  1  and  2  as  two  dry  holes  were 
sunk  on  the  Houghton  lease,  in  the  southwest  quarter  of  section  3, 
which,  with  the  one  in  section  36,  Westfield  township,  were  held  to 
condemn  the  northeastern  corner  of  Parker  township. 


BLATCHLEY.]  BRISCOE    LEASE.  41 

The  eastern  half  of  section  4  is  undrilled  with  the  exception  of  one 
bore  on  the  Endsley  lease,  in  the  northeast  quarter,  which  is  a  good 
producer.  On  the  west  half  some  light  wells  are  located  on  the  Lee 
farm  and  some  better  ones  in  the  southwest  quarter  on  the  Fuller  and 
Newlin  leases.  These  wells  started  at  15  to  40  barrels  each,  but 
dropped  down  to  three  to  live  barrels  in  six  months.  In  No.  10  on 
the  Fuller  lease,  no  sand  whatever  was  found,  but  only  "black  mud" 
in  its  place,  though  the  bore  was  located  only  450  feet  from  a  75  bar- 
rel well.  The  operating  company  sold  80  acres  of  leases  and  nine 
producing  wells  to  the  Ohio  Oil  company  in  February,  1906,  for 
$42,500. 

Section  5  has  yielded  much  oil,  severaJ  of  the  best  wells  in  the 
Casey  field  having  been  drilled  within  its  bounds.  One  of  the  most 
productive  leases  has  been  that  of  the  Gr.  A.  Fuller  farm,  in  the 
southeast  quarter,  where  it  is  said  nine  wells  yielded  32  inches  (80 
barrels)  a  day  for  18  months.  The  largest  of  these  started  at  180 
barrels  in  October  and  was  down  to  25  barrels  in  February.  The  big- 
gest well  in  the  history  of  the  field  was  on  the  D.  Lee  farm  just  to 
the  north,  having  started  in  September,  1905,  at  more  than  300  bar- 
rels. Much  oil  was  wasted  before  it  could  be  shut  off  after  shooting 
with  J  00  quarts.  A  number  of  other  good  producers  were  drilled  on 
the  same  farm. 

These  rich  strikes  caused  farmers  in  the  immediate  vicinity  to  ask 
very  high  prices  for  leases.  M.  L.  Briscoe  received  $8,000  bonus,  or 
$222.00  an  acre  and  one-sixth  royalty  for  the  oil  rights  on  36  acres  of 
his  farm  in  the  west  half  of  the  section;  the  entire  farm  of  100  acres 
being  leased  for  $14,000  and  one-sixth  royalty.  It  is  claimed  that 
the  operating  expenses  are  so  low,  on  account  of  the  shallow  depth  of 
the  wells,  that  even  at  these  prices,  the  producers  will  make  money, 
provided  the  output  is  anything  like  the  wells  on  the  Fuller  and  Lee 
farms. 

No.  3,  on  the  south  third  of  the  Briscoe  lease,  had  the  following 
record : 

Feet. 

Drive  pipe 42 

Casingr ,308 

Top  of  sand 310 

Total  depth 370 

The  pay  sand  was  eight  feet  thick  and  the  well  was  drilled  60  feet 
below  the  top  in  order  to  shoot  with  a  large  shot  and  give  room  to 
form  a  pocket  below  the  sand  in  which  the  oil  could  accumulate. 
Nine  wells  were  bored  on  the  central  36  acres  of  the  Briscoe  lease  by 
the  Barnsdall  Company.  Six  of  these  connected  with  the  power  and 
pumping  on  May  10th  were  said  to  be  making  500  barrels  a  day. 

On  April  20,  1906,  three  drills  were  operating  on  one  40-acre  lease 
in  the  northwest  corner  of  section  5.  One,  which  was  down  to  the 
top  of  sand,  was  drilled  through  16  feet  of  sticky  black  bituminous 
shale  (No.  19  of  the  county  section).  This  shale  is  said  to  run  5  to  18 
feet  thick  above  the  sand  in  this  section.  The  operator,  on  being 
asked  why  so  many  drills  were  operating  on  so  small  a  track  said: 
"The  pool  is  like  a  big  bowl  of  soup,  and  the  sooner  we  get  our  spoons 
in  the  more  we  will  get.     It  will  not  last  long  and  we  want  our  share." 


42  THE   PETEOLEUM    INDUSTEY   OF   EASTEEN    ILLINOIS.  •       [bull.  2 

The  northeast  quarter  and  the  south  half  of  section  6  contains  a 
number  of  fair  wells,  while  the  northwest  quarter  is  undrilled.  On 
the  A.  Biglow  farm,  in  the  south  half.  No.  5  well  had  the  following 
record: 

Feet. 

Drive  pipe 42 

Casing 296 

Top  of  sand 296 

Total  depth 352 

One  or  two  dry  holes  have  been  drilled  on  the  northwest  quarter  of 
section  7,  but  the  east  half  has  yielded  some  good  producers  while  the 
southwest  quarter  is  light.  The  W.  L.  Briggs  farm  of  80  acres,  with 
seven  wells,  was  sold  in  February  for  $36,000. 

No,  13  bore  on  the  Spelbring  lease  in  the  northwest  quarter  of  the 
northeast  quarter  showed: 

Feet. 

8    -inch  drive  pipe 30 

6H-inch  casing- Ifi5 

4%-inch  casing 305 

Top  of  sand 305 

Total  depth 355 

The  oldest  well  on  this  lease  started  at  twenty  barrels  in  December 
1904,  and  is  still  producing. 

In  the  northwest  of  section  8,  No.  8  bore  on  the  <Spelbring  farm, 
had  the  following  record: 

Feet. 

8    -inch  drive  pipe 45 

6M-inch  casing 160 

4%-inch  casing 255 

Top  of  sand 265 

Total  depth 299 

This  well  is  three-quarters  of  a  mile  east  of  the  one  last  nientioned. 
As  noted,  the  top  of  sand  dips  west  40  feet  in  that  distance.  The 
eastern  well  with  the  higher  sand  is  much  the  better  producer.  Ac- 
cording to  Mr.  A.  M.  O'Donnell,  the  oil  bearing  limestone  dips  both 
north  and  west  from  a  point  near  Oilfield,  and  the  well  records  seem 
to  bear  out  his  statement. 

On  the  Chas.  Lee  farm  of  160  acres  in  the  northeast  quarter  of  sec- 
tion 8,  sixteen  fair  producing  wells  have  been  drilled.  The  record  of 
No.  15,  near  th^  northwest  corner  follows : 

Feet. 

Drive  pipe — 35 

Casing 260 

Top  of  sand 297 

First  pay 317 

Total  depth 352 

The  pay  sand  was  ten  feet  thick  and  the  well  was  drilled  in  dry 
and  shot,  when  it  started  at  25  to  30  barrels.  A  record  of  the  pro- 
duction of  the  16  wells  on  this  farm  for  five  days  of  the  week  of  April 
15,  1906,  and  of  eight  wells  on  the  Detrow  farm  just  to  the  south  was 
as  follows: 


Lee  Farm. 
Bbls. 

Detrow  Farm. 

Bbls. 

April  15 

90 
40 
33 
43 
37 

198 

April  16 

12 

April  17  .                           .   .               .     . 

1.50 

April  18 

138 

AprillQ        ..         .                                         .                 

50 

BLATCHLEY.]  YOUNG   DEILL    HOLE.  43 

This  shows  the  .Detrow  wells  to  be  much  the  better  producers,  but 
they  have  been  pumped  a  shorter  time.  Both  leases  are  owned  by  the 
Ohio  Oil  Company  and  the  24  wells  are  pumped  with  one  25-horse 
power  gas  engine. 

In  section  9  are  found  the  most  easterly  producing  wells  in  Parker 
township.  One  of  them,  No.  1,  on  the  A.  B.  Reeds  place,  had  the 
following  record: 

Feet. 

Drive  pipe , 20 

Casing 200 

Top  of  sand 310 

Total  depth 322 

Another  bore  on  the  northwest  quarter  of  the  northwest  quarter  of 
section  9  showed: 

Feet. 

Drive  pipe 60 

Top  of  sand 335 

Total  depth 460 

No  oil  was  found  below  '610  feet.  Two  or  three  dry  holes  have  been 
drilled  on  the  east  half  of  the  section. 

Three  or  four  bores  sunk  in  the  west  half  of  section  10  have  proven 
dry.  One  of  them,  on  the  N.  P.  Daugherty  farm,  in  the  northwest 
quarter,  showed: 

Feet. 

Drive  pipe 90 

Casing 320 

Top  of  sand 365 

Total  depth 377 

Sections  11  to  15,  and  the  east  half  of  16  are  undrilled,  while  only 
a  few  light  wells  have  been  completed  on  the  west  half  of  16. 

It  was  on  the  Young  farm,  in  the  south  half  of  section  17  that  the 
first  bore  was  sunk  in  the  Casey  field.  It  was  put  down  to  a  depth  of 
1445  feet,  and  a  partial  record  of  it  obtained  by  Mr.  Lewis  is  as  fol- 
lows: 

Feet. 

Top  of  sand 279 

First  oil 284 

Bottom  of  limestone 750 

Shale  and  slate 750-1,050 

Sandstone 1,050-1,070 

Shale 1.070-1,075 

Sandstone 1, 075-1, 087 

Black  shale 1 ,  0S7-1 ,  185 

Sandstone 1, 185-1, 287 

Show  of  oil 1,287 

Bottom  of  well  in  shale  at , 1,445 

As  already  noted,  this  well  yielded  quite  a  quantity  of  gas  and  but 
little  oil. 

Several  fair  wells  have  been  brought  in  in  the  northeast  quarter  of 
the  section,  one  of  which  showed: 

Feet. 

Top  of  sand 298 

Gas  at 302 

Oil  at 302-336 

Total  depth 356 

thus  denoting  a  dip  northward  from  this  point.  Only  the  northern 
third  of  section  18  has  been  drilled,  the  eight  or  ten  well  thereon  being 
light  producers. 


44  THE    PETEOLEUM   INDUSTRY   OF    EASTERN    ILLINOIS.         [bull.  2 

In  section  19  the  No.  1  Heach,  in  the  northwest  quarter,  was  a  dry 
hole,  its  record  being: 

Feet. 

Drive  pipe 44 

Casing 264 

Top  of  sand 324 

Total  depth -. 382 

The  east  half  of  the  section  has  only  a  few  light  wells  to  its  credit. 

That  portion  of  the  north  half  of  section  20,  east  of  the  Cincinnati, 
Hamilton  &  Dayton  railway,  comprises  some  of  the  best  territory  in 
the  field,  while  the  south  half  is  much  lighter.  On  the  HoUis  lease 
of  forty  acres  just  east  of  Oilfield,  there  were  twelve  wells  making 
nearly  a  tank  a  day  on  April  20th,  The  top  of  sand  is  said  to  have 
been  uneven,  varying  from  six  to  ten  feet  in  depth  in  a  number  of  the 
bores.  The  average  well  starts  at  seventy-five  barrels.  On  the  Jeff- 
ries farm  just  to  the  west.  No.  8,  finished  April  11,  started  at  eighty 
barrels  and  has  the  following  record: 

Feet. 

Drive  pipe 41 

Casing 297 

Top  of  sand 294 

Total  depth 352 

A  public  road  separates  the  two  farms,  and  the  rival  companies 
were  "bucking  the  line,"  two  wells  being  drilled  opposite  each  other 
and  not  more  than  seventy-five  feet  apart;  one  of  them  within  two  and 
a  half  feet  of  the  road  line  and  the  other  but  four  feet  distant  from 
that  line  on  the  other  side.  One  of  the  wells  was  drilled  in  thirty- six 
hours,  a  record  time  for  the  field.  Five  feet  of  nice  coal  (more  likely 
black  shale)  was  said  to  have  been  struck  in  most  of  the  wells  on  the 
two  leases  at  a  depth  of  140  feet. 

The  No.  2  bore  on  the  Kelly-Nye  lease  in  the  northwest  of  the  south- 
east of  20,  had  the  following  record: 

Feet. 

Drive  pipe 40 

Casing 180 

Top  of  sand 308 

Total  depth 403 

Two  streaks  of  pay  sand  were  encountered,  one  five  feet  thick  eight 
to  thirteen  feet  in,  followed  by  a  hard  streak  fifteen  feet  or  more  thick, 
then  a  second  pay,  eight  feet  thick  and  better  than  the  first. 

On  the  I.  N.  Terrell  farm  of  100  acres,  south  half  of  the  southeast 
quarter,  eleven  wells  have  been  drilled,  of  which  one  was  dry,  the 
others  light,     The  average  well  showed: 

Feet. 

Drive  pipe 40 

Casing 240 

Top  of  sand 297 

Total 356 

Section  21  is  light  to  fair  territory,  with  more  or  less  gas.  The 
northeast  quarter  is  undrilled.  On  the  Murphy  farm,  in  the  southeast 
quarter,  the  average  of  three  bores  showed: 

Feet. 

Drive  pipe 30 

Casing 260 

Top  of  san d • 282 

Second  pay 318 

Total 343 


BLATCHLEY.] 


BEISCOE    LEASE. 


45 


The  oil  is  said  to  be  found  in  a  white  sand;  the  wells  starting  at 
about  fifteen  barrels  each.  No  limestone  pay  was  encountered.  On 
the  lease  to  the  north  but  one  pay  streak  was  found,  and  it  was  a  brown 
limestone. 

Sections  22  to  28  inclusive  are  undrilled  with  the  exception  of  one 
bore  on  the  southwest  of  27  which  was  dry,  the  sand  being  struck  at 
400  feet. 

On  section  29  the  only  production  is  on  the  west  half.  An  old  well 
drilled  in  1866  was  located  on  the  Briscoe  lease.  At  present  the  same 
lease,  on  the  southwest  quarter  of  section  29,  has  eight  producing 
wells.     No.  1  in  the  southwest  corner,  showed: 


10 


8-inch  drive  pipe 

First  fresh  water 

First  gas  sand 

Bottom  of  gas  sand 

Top  of  "coal" 

Bottom  of  coal 

Shale  with  gas 333 

Top  of  '  'oil  sand" 366 

Showing  of  oil 377-383 

Total  depth 401 


Feet. 

40 

180 

270 
285 
304 
310 


The  bore  was  shot  with  100  quarts  and  started  at  about  four  bar- 
rels, being  the  lightest  well  but  one  on  the  lease.  The  "coal,"  No.  5 
of  the  section,  is  probably  mostly  a  black  shale,  and  doubtless  cor- 
responds to  No.  19  of  the  county  section. 

This  lease,  operated  by  Bayliss,  Haskell  &  Co.,  was  visited  on  April 
20,  just  at  the  time  the  No.  8  bore  was  being  completed  for  shooting. 
Samples  of  the  sand  from  just  above  the  oil  pay,  at  the  most  pro- 
ductive portion  of  the  pay,  and  below  the  pay,  were  taken  for  exami- 
nation and  analysis. 

Drillings  from  just  above  the  pay,  at  a  depth  of  361  to  365  feet, 
showed  under  the  glass  as  angular  fragments  of  a  grayish  close-grained 
limestone,  with  crystals  of  calcite,  iron  pyrites,  and  particles  of  shale 
intermingled.  Drillings  from  the  best  pay,  380  to  385  feet,  were 
much  darker  in  hue,  due  to  the  brownish  discoloration  by  the  oil. 
Under  the  glass  they  resemble  a  miniature  mass  of  water  worn  gravel, 
the  fragments  being  rounded  instead  of  angular,  and  loosely  cemented 
in  small  bunches.  Less  pyrites  and  no  shale  were  visible.  The  layer 
below  the  oil  pay  was  more  like  that  from  above,  the  fragments  being 
angular  as  there,  though  darker  in  color.  An  analysis  of  the  three 
samples,  by  F.  F.  Grout,  assistant  chemist  of  the  Survey,  showed  their 
composition  to  be : 

Analyses  of  Samples  of  Drillings  f row  Well  No.  8,  Briscoe  Lease, 

Southwest  Quarter  Section  29  (11  iV.,  14  W.)  Parker 

Township,  Clark  County,  Illinois. 


Above  best 
361-36Reet. 

In  best 
380-385^eet. 

Below  best 

pay 
395-400  feet. 

Calcium  carbonate  (CaCOs) 

46.38 
20.69 
10.93 
21.69 

51.38 

28.76 

3.71 

11.45 

55  16 

Magnesium  carbonate  (MgCOg) 

17  64 

Iron  oxide  and  alumina  (ALOa+FeoO,) 

2.47 

Insoluble 

24  47 

Totals 

99.69 

95,30 

99  74 

46  THE    PETEOLEUM    INDUSTRY   OF   EASTEEN    ILLINOIS.  [bull.  2 

The  higher  percentage  of  iron  oxide  and  alumina  in  the  portion 
from  above  the  sand  is  due  to  the  admixture  of  particles  of  shale 
from  above.  The  analyses  show  that  the  best  or  most  porous  portions 
of  the  rock  are  those  containing  the  highest  percentage  of  magnesia; 
i.  e.  the  ones  which  are  most  dolomitic  in  character.  This  is  also  true 
of  the  producing  portions  or  pay  streaks  of  the  Trenton  limestone  of 
Indiana.  These  dolomitic  portions  or  streaks  were  probably  formed 
in  or  about  shallow  pools  in  the  old  sea  bottom  in  which  the  limestone 
was  laid  down.  The  water  in  those  pools  became  in  time  very  briny, 
and  caused  a  chemical  change  in  the  rock,  more  magnesia  from  the 
brine  taking  the  place  of  some  of  the  calcium  carbonate  of  the  lime 
rock.  Wherever  this  change  took  place,  which  was  only  in  the  shal- 
low briny  pools  mentioned,  the  resulting  dolomitic  portion  was  very 
porous.  This  increased  porosity  was  due  to  the  fact  that  the  new 
crystals  of  dolomite  were  smaller  than,  and  never  entirely  filled  the 
spaces  occupied  by  the  older  crystals  of  lime  carbonate.  The  larger 
areas  of  the  limestone  deposit  were  either  too  pure  to  admit  of  a 
change  into  dolomite,  or  the  condition  of  sea  level  were  never  such 
that  the  change  took  place;  hence  they  are  non-porous  and  barren  of 
either  oil  or  gas. 

In  places,  where  a  second  pay  streak  occurs  in  the  limestone  below 
the  first,  it  is  separated  from  it  by  a  bed  of  unchanged,  non-porous 
limestone.  This  alternation  of  dolomite  and  limestone  strata  is  prob- 
ably due  to  changes  in  conditions  at  the  time  the  limestone  was  being- 
transformed  into  dolomite.  Wherever  the  limestone  assumes  its 
normal  character  and  ceases  to  be  dolomitic,  it  ceases  also  to  be  oil- 
bearing. 

In  some  of  the  wells  on  the  Briscoe  lease,  from  which  the  above 
samples  were  taken,  it  is  claimed  that  the  oil  "  sand "  or  limestone 
runs  forty  to  sixty  feet  in  thickness,  from  twenty  to  thirty  of  which 
are  pay  sand.  In  No.  6  bore,  near  the  north  line  of  the  lease  operated 
by  Bayliss  &  Haskell,  there  was  no  "  porous  sand  "  whatever  at  the 
usual  depth,  and  only  a  thin  stratum  at  410  feet,  while  in  No,  7,  320 
feet  south,  there  was  a  good  pay  streak  at  a  depth  of  B75  feet.  This 
shows  the  irregularity  of  the  rock  in  this  territory.  Where  the 
porous  stratum  is  lacking  it  is  usually  replaced  by  a  "broken  limy 
slate." 

A  number  of  light  producers  have  been  drilled  along  the  south  line 
of  section  30.  In  the  north  half  of  the  southeast  quarter  of  80,  a 
bonus  of  $25  an  acre  and  one-sixth  royalty  was  paid  the  Briscoe  heirs 
for  the  oil  rights.  Six  light  wells  and  one  dry  hole  have  been  sunk 
on  the  farm.  Across  the  road,  on  the  A.  Lee  farm,  four  or  five  light 
wells  have  been  drilled,  the  average  bore  showing: 

Feet. 

Drive  pipe 84 

Casing' 346 

Top  of  Sana 363 

Total  depth 399 

On  the  Ross  Lee  farm,  just  to  the  southeast,  one  bore  was  drilled 
in  October  which  started  at  seventy-five  barrels,  but  is  now  down  to 
five  or  six.     About  twenty  barrels  are  being  produced  daily  from  the 


BLATCHLEY. 


TUENEE   OIL    EOOK.  47 


five  wells  on  the  two  leases.  A  dry  hole  was  bored  on  the  Brown 
lease  in  the  southwest  corner  the  section  and  three  or  four  small 
wells  just  to  the  east  on  the  same  farm. 

No  drilling  has  been  done  in  31,  while  in  82  three  dry  holes  have 
been  sunk.     One  of  these,  on  the  J.  I.  Barbee  farm,  showed:* 

Feet. 

Top  of  first  sand 355-360 

Top  of  second  sand 435-440 

Total  depth 575 

The  second  sand  produced  a  flow  of  salt  water.     The  bottom  of  the 

hole  was  in  brown  sand.      Several  small  producers  have  been  drilled 

in  on  the  Turner  farm,  south  of  the  center  of  section  38.     An  average 

record  shows: 

Feet 

Drive  pipe 60 

Casing 165 

Top  of  sand 220 

Total  depth 306 

The  oil  was  here  found  in  a  sandstone,  which  is  dirty  brown  in  hue, 
due  to  discoloration  by  the  oil.  When  washed,  the  grains  of  sand  are 
white,  A  small  piece  of  the  rock  in  hand  shows  them  to  be  cemented 
quite  closely  together,  thus  furnishing  a  good  reason  for  the  light 
output  of  the  wells.  It  is  probable  that  this  is  the  lower  part  of 
stratum  No.  12  of  the  county  section. 

An  analysis  of  the  drillings  and  of  the  sample  of  rock  showed  their 
constitutents  to  be  as  follows: 


Drillings. 

Rock. 

Calcium  carbonate  (CaCOg)             ..            

1.05 

.66 

1.51 

94.22 

0 

Magnesium  carbonate  (MgC(  ^3) 

78 

Ferric  oxide  and  Alumina  (Fco  O3  -j-  AL  O3) 

2  12 

91  33 

Totals •    

97.44 

94  83 

Two  gas  wells  were  also  bored  on  the  northeast  quarter  of  this  sec- 
tion, the  top  of  the  gas  producing  sand  being  found  at  242  feet. 

One  of  two  light  producers  have  been  finished  on  the  Kimlin  lease 
in  the  southwest  quarter  of  section  34.  A  record  obtained  from  Mr. 
Lewis  was  as  follows : 

Feet. 

1  Drift  and  gravel •. 60 

2  Flow  of  water  in  limestone  at 94 

3  Bottom  of  limestone 102 

4  First  gas  in  thin  layer  of  sand 180 

5  Second  liow  of  gas 210 

6  Top  of  oil  sand 315 

7  Bottom  of  oil  sand 343 

The  limestones  Nos.  2  and  3  of  this  section  was  doubtless  the 
Quarry  Creek  limestone.  No.  2  of  the  county  section,  the  interval 
between  the  bottom  of  the  drift  and  its  top  being  filled  with  the  sand- 
stone of  No.  1  of  the  county  section. 

No  drilling  has  been  done  in  sections  35  and  86  of  Parker  township. 

Casey  toivnship — This  civil  township  lies  just  south  of  Parker,  and 
corresponds  to  congressional  township  10  north,  14  west.      The  only 

*  Data  by  Lewis. 


48  THE    PETEOLEUM    INDUSTKY    OF    EASTERN    ILLINOIS.  [BULL.  2 

producing  wells  within  its  bounds  on  May  first,  were  along  the  north 
border  in  section  4;  on  the  west  borders  in  sections  7  and  18  and 
between  Martinsville  and  Casey  in  sections  10  and  15. 

Outside  of  these  sections  dry  holes  have  been  bored  in  sections  3, 
11  and  12,  and  a  gas  well  in  section  25. 

The  wells  in  s'ection  4  produce  oil  from  a  white  or  grayish  sand, 
somewhat  similar  to  but  finer  than  that  on  the  Turner  farm  in  section 
33,  Parker  township.  One  of  the  bores,  in  the  northwest  quarter  of 
the  northeast  quarter  of  section  4.  has  the  following  record.'* 

Feet. 

Top  of  first  oil  sand 303 

Bottom  of  first  oil  sand 329 

Top  of  second  sand 390 

Bottom  of  second  sand 425 

A  visit  to  this  field  on  April  20  showed  one  power  on  the  Sloan 
lease,  in  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  4,  pumping  eight  wells  on 
six  different  leases,  the  total  output  of  the  eight  being  about  twenty 
barrels  per  day.  The  wells  are  pumped  only  six  or  seven  hours  a  day, 
the  inflow  of  twenty-four  hours  being  exhausted  in  that  time. 
Samples  of  the  cap  rock  above  the  producing  sand  on  the  C.  Elliott 
place  show  it  to  be  a  very  close,  fine  grained,  micaceous  sandstone. 

The  following  partial  record  of  the  dry  hole  in  the  southwest  quar- 
ter of  section  11  was  obtained  by  Mr.  Lewis: 

Feet. 

Broken  sand 334 

Broken  limestone,  4V4  feet  in  thickness. 

Shale  and  coal 350 

Oil  sand  (showing  of  oil).... 401-421 

Hard  black  shale 421-431 

Hard  limestone. 

A  dry  hole  was  drilled  on  the  northwest  quarter  of  the  southeast 
quarter  of  section  15,  the  top  of  supposed  oil  bearing  sand  being 
struck  at  307  feet.  The  rig  was  then  moved  onto  the  Deihl  lease  in 
the  northeast  quarter  of  the  section.  Here  a  bore  was  sunk  which 
had  the  following  record: 

Feet. 

1  10-inch  drive  pipe 41 

2  8-inch  casing 125 

3  6V4-inch  casing 4'il 

4  Top  of  first  sand , 471 

5  Total  depth 502 

No  "sand"  was  found  at  307  feet  or  thereabouts,  as  reported  in  the 
well  to  the  south.  The  Deihl  well  was  shot  with  sixty  quarts  and  was 
making  twenty  barrels  a  day  at  the  end  of  a  week.  The  producing 
rock  was  a  loose  white  sand  with  scattering  particles  of  iron  pyrites. 
It  was  said  to  have  been  overlain  with  a  cap  of  impure  lime  and  sand, 
above  which  were  "twenty  feet  of  black  shale."  These  facts,  taken  in 
connection  with  its  depth,  would  bring  it  down  to  about  No.  32  of  the 
county  section. 

On  the  Johnson  farm,  in  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  10,  one- 
half  mile  north  of  the  Diehi,  the  top  of  pay  sand  was  struck  at  470 
feet,  but  here  it  had  pinched  down  to  a  thickness  of  only  15  feet.  The 
well  was  drilled  550  feet  deep  and  got  a  big  flow  of  salt  water.  This 
This  was  plugged  off  and  the  well  is  pumped  from  the  475  feet  level, 

*Data  by  Lewis. 


BLATCHLEY.]  SIGGINS     POOL.  *  49 

but  produces  only  three  or  four  barrels  a  day.  These  two  strikes  in 
territory  so  far  distant  from  other  productive  areas,  caused  much  ex- 
citement in  the  vicinity,  and  on  May  5th,  T.  N.  Barnsdall  paid  $4,000 
bonus  and  one-eighth  royalty  for  100  acres  in  the  east  half  of  the 
southeast  quarter  of  section  15,  adjoining  the  Deihl  lease  on  the 
south. 

A  number  of  fair  producers  have  been  brought  in  on  the  Fuqua, 
Larue,  and  Em  rich  leases  in  sections  7  and  18,  one  and  a  half  to 
three  miles  northwest  of  Casey.  Some  of  these  are  said  to  have 
started  at  150  or  more  barrels  a  day.  The  first  one,  drilled  on  the 
southwest  corner  of  the  Fuqua  lease,  was  dry.  These  wells  occur  in 
the  eastern  part  of  the  "Siggins  pool,"  more  fully  discussed  on  a  sub- 
sequent page.     (Page  54.) 

The  dry  hole  on  the  Smith  lease,  in  the  southwest  quarter  of  sec- 
tion 21,  one  and  a  half  miles  east  of  Casey,  was  drilled  to  a  depth  of 
700  feet.  Three  thin  layers  of  "oil  sand"  were  encountered,  but  none 
with  showing  enough  to  justify  pumping  the  well. 

A  bore  on  the  J.  Rush  farm,  in  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  25, 
developed  a  gas  well,  with  a  capacity  of  about  1,000,000  cubic  feet,  at 
a  depth  of  490  feet. 

Martinsville  township — This  civil  township  lies  east  of  Casey  and 
includes  sections  4  to  B6,  inclusive,  of  congressional  township  10 
north,  13  west.  No  oil  is  being  produced  within  its  bounds,  while 
but  two  or  three  bores  are  yielding  gas  and  that  in  small  quantity. 
Dry  holes  have  been  sunk  on  sections  7  and  8.  In  one  of  these,  in 
the  southeast  quarter  of  section  7,  just  west  of  Martinsville,  the  top 
of  the  "sand"  was  struck  at  440  feet.  In  the  bore  on  the  M.  C.  Rowe 
farm,  in  the  northeast  quarter  of  the  southwest  quarter  of  section  8, 
Mr.  Lewis  learned  that  the  first  rock  struck  below  the  drift  was  lime- 
stone, that  a  vein  of  coal  seven  to  nine  feet  thick  was  encountered  at 
300  feet,  and  a  second  vein,  five  feet  thick,  at  350  feet,  and  that  "sand" 
which  contained  a  small  amount  of  both  oil  and  gas  extended  from 
480  to  507  feet.  Without  knowing  the  thickness  of  the  drift  it  is  safe 
to  say  that  the  two  "coals"  represent  Nos.  19  and  22  of  the  county 
section,  wdth  their  accompanying  shales. 

A  small  gas  well  was  completed  on  the  northeast  quarter  of  the 
southwest  quarter  of  section  21,  the  gas  sand  being  found  at  315  feet. 

Two  wells  yielding  a  small  supply  of  gas  have  been  drilled  on  the 
southeast  quarter  of  section  31,  in  the  southwest  corner  of  the  town- 
ship. Concerning  the  northern  one  of  these,  Mr.  Lewis  gathered  the 
following  record: 

Feet. 

1  Drift 325 

2  Gas  at 275 

3  Salt  water  at 285 

4  Top  of  "sand" 324 

5  Bottom  of  '  'sand" 357 

6  Second  oil  sand 456 

7  Gas  at 460 

8  Total  depth 483 

The  bottom  was  in  sandstone.  A  small  showing  of  oil  was  obtained, 
in  sands  Nos.  4  and  6,  but  not  enough  to  justify  pumping.  The  wells 
are  at  present  shut  in,  awating  a  market  for  the  gas. 

G  S 


50  •     THE    PETROLEUM    INDUSTRY    OF    EASTERN    ILLINOIS.  [BULL.  2 

Johnson  township — This  township  lies  south  of  Casey  township 
and  corresponds  to  congressional  township,  9  north,  14  west.  Some 
oil  is  being  produced  in  its  eastern  half,  but  on  account  of  a  lack  of 
pipe  line  facilities,  most  of  the  wells  in  which  oil  has  been  found  are 
shut  down.  The  country  about  the  productive  territory  is  rough  and 
broken  by  the  erosion  of  the  tributaries  of  the  North  Fork,  thus 
necessitating  the  hauling  of  supplies  up  and  down  numerous  hills. 
The  western  half  of  the  township  is  untested  except  by  one  dry  hole 
in  section  20. 

A  record  of  a  dry  hole  on  the  M.  Crouch  farm,  in  the  southwest 
quarter  of  section  ]0,  was  furnished  by  C.  H.  Hubbard,  the  contract- 
ing driller,  as  follows: 

Feet. 

Drive  pipe 82 

Casing None 

Impure  limestone  at 503 

Bottom  of  same  limestone  563 

Total  depth 723 

The  bore  ended  in  a  black  shale,  and  no  oil,  gas  or  salt  water  was 
found.  Three  veins  of  so-called  coal  were  encountered,  viz.:  one, 
fourteen  inches  thick  at  nineteen  feet ;  a  second,  four  feet  thick  at  248 
feet,  and  a  third,  six  and  a  half  feet  thick  at  425  feet.  No  limestone 
corresponding  to  that  of  the  Casey- Westfield  pool  was  encountered. 

On  the  V.  Bean  farm,  in  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  11,  a  dry 
hole  was  also  drilled,  in  which  sand  was  struck  at  292  feet  and  salt 
water  at  402  feet.  It  is  a  difficult  thing  to  determine  just  what  is 
meant  by  "sand"  in  this  section  of  the  Clark  county  field.  It  is  not 
believed  that  the  contracting  driller  has  any  definite  stratum  which 
he  starts  out  to  find.  If  he  strikes  oil  or  gas,  well  and  good.  The 
stratum  in  which  he  finds  it  is  dubbed  "sand"  and  the  driller  of  the 
next  bore  in  the  vicinity  will  try  to  find  the  same  stratum.  If  oil  or 
gas  be  not  found,  the  drilling  continues  until  a  big  flow  of  salt  water 
is  struck,  or  the  operator  thinks  he  has  enough.  The  whole  thing  is 
a  wild  cat  venture,  and  with  meagre  w^ell  records  and  few  outcrops,  the 
geologist  is  as  much  at  sea  regarding  the  nature  of  the  sand  as  is  the 
operator.  He  is  only  certain  that  the  oil  and  gas  is  found  in  one  of 
the  numerous  sandstone  strata  of  the  Upper  Coal  Measures.  Which 
one,  no  man  knoweth. 

Seven  bores  have  been  sunk  on  sections  12  and  13.  Two  of  these 
are  gas  wells,  which  in  part  supply  the  town  of  Casey  with  natural 
gas.  Two  are  dry  holes  and  the  other  three  are  light  oil  producers. 
One  of  the  gas  wells,  on  the  J.  W.  Statler  farm,  in  the  southeast 
quarter  of  section  12,  produces  quite  a  quantity  of  gas  and  has  a  good 
showing  of  oil  in  a  sandstone  at  a  depth  of  520  feet.  Samples  of  the 
producing  rock  in  hand  show  the  grains  of  sand  to  be  rather  fine  and 
angular,  with  sharp  edges,  white  in  natural  hue,  but  discolored  by  oil, 
and  so  closely  cemented  that  the  visable  pores  under  a  glass  are  few. 


BLATCHLEY.]   *  WEAVER    LEASE.  51 

The  record  of  No.   1  bore,  on  the  Bennett  lease,  in  the  northwest 

quarter  of  section  13,  obtained  by  Mr.  Lewis  from  the  contractor,  is 

as  follows: 

Feet 

First  coal  at 180 

Second  coal  at 250 

Third  coal  at 375 

Top  of  oil  sand 421 

First  pay  streak 426 

Bottom  of  sand 442 

Second  oil  and  gas  sand 499 

Bottom  of  second  sand , 510 

Top  of  limestone 527-^^ 

This  is  a  small  oil  producer,  and  two  others  of  the  same  nature 
occur  on  the  eastern  half  of  the  section. 

No  drilling  has  been  done  on  section  14,  while  the  only  bore  on  15, 
on  the  Stewart  lease  in  the  southwest  corner  was  dry.  Its  record  fol- 
lows: 

Feet. 

10-inch  drive  pipe 26 

8-inch  drive  pipe 93 

Good  flow  of  fresh  water 124 

634-inch  casing 240 

P.rown  sand 477 

Bottom  of  brown  sand 540 

Total  depth  568 

A  bore  on  the  D.  Baughman  lease,  on  the  west  half  of  section  20, 
was  sunk  to  a  depth  of  1200  feet,  but  developed  only  a  plentiful  sup- 
ply of  salt  water. 

The  best  oil  producing  wells  of  the  township  are  in  section  23,  on 

the  Weaver  and  Bennett  leases.     In  the  Weaver  No.  1,  drilled  in 

May,  1905,  on  the  northwest  quarter  of  the  section,  an  oil  sand  twenty 

feet  thick  was  found  at  421  feet.     This  well  was  shot  with  sixty  quarts 

and  has  filled  three  tanks  with  oil,  which  are  now  on  the  ground. 

No.  2,  790  feet  southeast,  produced  a  large  volume  of  gas  and  several 

tanks  of  oil,  part  of  which  was  burned.     A  partial  record  of  this  bore 

shows : 

Feet. 

Gas  sand 385 

Oil  sand 421 

Bottom  of  sand 439 

W.  W.  Jamieson,  of  Clarksburg,  West  Virginia,  who  owned  8,000 
acres  of  leases  in  this  portion  of  Johnson  township,  and  three  pro- 
ducing oil  wells  and  a  gas  well  on  the  Weaver  adjoining  leases,  is 
reported  to  have  recently  sold  five-eighths  of  his  interests  in  these 
holdings  for  $100,000  to  Cochran  and  Funk,  of  Parkersburg,  West 
Virginia. 

The  No.  1  Albright,  700  feet  north  of  Weaver  No.  1,  was  dry.  Its 
record,  as  obtained  by  Mr.  Lewis,  shows : 

Feet. 

Top  of  sand 260 

Bottom  of  sand 320 

Shale 320-428 

Broken  sand 428-430 

Shale 430-469 

Sannstone 469-472 

On  the  J.  P.  Bennett  lease,  in  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  23, 
two  producing  wells  have  been  drilled.  No.  71  starting  at  about 
seventy-five  barrels.  The  rock  first  struck  in  them  at  a  depth  of  fifty- 
seven  feet  from  the  surface,  is  a  soft,  grayish-blue.  Carboniferous  shale. 


52  THE    PETEOLEUM    INDUSTRY   OF   EASTEEN    ILLINOIS.         [bull.  2 

A  test  well  on  the  A.  Lane  farm,  100  rods  north  of  the  Bennett  No. 
1,  was  barren,  an  abundant  supply  of  salt  water  having  been  found 
at  505  feet. 

Several  gas  wells  in  section  24  yield  part  of  the  gas  used  in  Casey. 

One  of  these,  on  the  Green  lease  in  the  northwest  quarter,  shows: 

Feet. 

Drive  pipe 101 

Top  of  sand 524 

Gas  sand  to 542 

This  well  is  said  to  have  a  rock  pressure  of  200  pounds  and  a  ca- 
pacity of  1,000,000  cubic  feet  per  day.  The  best  gas  producing  area 
found  in  Illinois  to  date  is  located  in  Johnson  and  Orange  townships 
and  in  the  northern  third  of  Crawford  county  to  the  south.  The 
dome  of  an  anticline  in  the  gas  bearing  stratum  is  doubtless  here 
located.  What  stratum  of  sandstone  it  really  is,  the  data  at  hand  is 
not  sufficient  to  say. 

Orange  township — This  township,  corresponding  to  congressional 
township  9  north,  13  west,  lies  just  enst  of  Johnson.  But  five  or  six 
bores  have  been  sunk  within  its  bounds.  One  of  these  is  on  the  C. 
M.  Blakeman  farm,  in  the  southwest  quarter  of  section  7.  A  partial 
record  of  its  bore  showed: 

Feet. 

1  Drive  pipe 81 

2  First  gas  sand 390 

3  Black  shale 390-400 

4  Limestone 400-405 

5  Second  gas  sand 405 

6  Bottom  of  second  sand 510 

A  large  volume  of  gas  and  a  little  oil  was  found.  A  second  bore  on 
the  same  farm  developed  a  larger  supply  of  gas.  Both  wells  are  now 
capped  in,  awaiting  a  market. 

Of  these  wells,  B.  A.  Kinney,  State  Gas  Supervisor  of  Indiana, 
writes  me,  under  date  of  May  10th:  "I  gauged  the  Blakeman  wells 
with  a  24-inch  Pilot  Tube  and  it  would  not  hold  the  mercury,  the 
wells  being  so  strong  that  it  was  immediately  blown  out.  I  then  put 
on  a  spring  gauge,  in  which  twelve  pounds  open  flow  is  equal  to 
twenty-four  inches  of  mercury  flow.  No.  1  well  gauged  twelve  pounds 
open  flow  on  spring  gauge  through  a  four-inch  casing,  showing  a  vol- 
ume of  9,783,836  cubic  feet  per  day. 

"No.  2  Blakeman,  1,200  feet  south  of  No.  1,  showed  fifteen  pounds 
open  flow  pressure  through  three-inch  tubing,  or  6,021,216  cubic  feet 
per  day.  This  flow  was  computed  according  to  the  Tobey  Meter 
table  as  follows: 

15  pounds  on  1-inch  pipe— 27,876  cubic  feet  per  hour. 
12  pounds  on  1-inch  pipe— 25,479  cubic  feet  per  hour. 
12  pounds  on  2-inch  pipe— 25,479  X   4  cubic  feet  per  hour. 
12  pounds  on  3-inch  pipe— 25,479  x   9  cubic  feet  per  hour. 
12  pounds  on  4-inch  pipe— 25,479  x  16  cubic  feet  per  hour. 

No.  1  Well. 

25,479x16=407,664  cubic  feet  per  hour. 
407,664  X  24=9,783.886  cubic  feet  per  24  hours. 

No.  2  Well. 

27.876  X  9—250,884  cubic  feet  per  hour. 
250.884  X  24—6,021,216  cubic  feet  per  24  hours. 


BLATCHLEY.]  GAS    WELLS.  58 

The  two  Blakeman  wells,  one  additional  gas  well  and  two  small  oil 
wells,  together  with  3,000  acres  of  leases,  were  recently  sold  to  T.  N. 
Barnsdall  for  110,000.  A  franchise  has  been  secured  at  Martinsville, 
and  the  gas  will  be  piped  there  for  domestic  use. 

One  of  the  oil  wells  on  the  Newlin  lease,  in  the  northwest  quarter 
of  section  18,  had  the  following  record: 

Feet. 

1  Drive  pipe 40 

2  8-inch  casing- 149 

3  Coal 361 

4  Top  of  first  sand 365 

5  Bottom  of  sand 378 

6  Slate 378-386 

7  Top  of  second  sand 386 

8  Bottom  of  second  sand 406 

9  Coal 414 

10  Top  of  third  sand 422 

11  Total  depth 439 

Sands  Nos.  4  and  7  were  barren.  The  third  sand  at  422  feet  had  a 
good  showing  of  oil  in  the  first  screw.  It  was  shot  before  reaching 
the  layer  of  sand  in  which  gas  is  found  in  the  Blakeman  wells,  but 
the  yield  is  small. 

An  attempt  has  been  made  by  one  or  two  companies  to  secure  a 
franchise  from  the  city  of  Terre  Haute,  some  35  miles  to  the  north- 
east, in  order  to  pipe  the  gas  thereto  for  domestic  use.  From  the 
spotted  nature  of  the  territory  in  this  region  it  is  very  doubtful 
whether  such  a  franchise  should  be  granted  until  a  dozen  or  more 
good  producing  wells,  some  distance  apart,  have  been  drilled  in.  If 
that  be  done,  the  prospective  consumer  in  the  city  would  have  some- 
thing more  substantial  on  which  to  base  his  hopes  for  a  cheap  and 
cleanly  fuel. 

A  bore  on  the  J.  Nash  farm,  southwest  quarter  of  section  18,  devel- 
oped a  little  oil  and  a  small  volume  of  gas.  The  well  is  said  to  have 
started  at  about  ten  barrels. 

In  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  11  a  well  was  drilled  to  a  depth 
of  1,136  feet.     A  partial  record  of  its  bore  showed:* 

Feet, 

Drift 60 

Coal,  5-foot  vein , ,320 

First  sand,  fine  gray 500 

Bottom  of  first  sand 532 

Second  sand,  white  water  sand 700 

Oil  sand 940 

Bottom  of  oil  sand 960 

Total  depth 1,135 

From  9f>C  feet  to  the  bottom  were  alternate  strata,  5  to  15  feet 
thick,  of  shale  and  sandstone. 

A  dry  hole  on  the  northeast  corner  of  section  20  developed  a  salt 
water  sand  at  700  feet  and  was  abandoned  at  735  feet.  A  bore  on  the 
southeast  quarter  of  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  27  was  also  diy. 
An  "oil  sand"  which  contained  no  oil  was  here  also  struck  at  700  feet 
and  extended,  still  barren,  to  748  feet,  at  which  point  the  operator 
lost  hope. 

A  dry  hole  was  also  bored  on  the  Johnson  farm,  in  the  southwest 
quarter  of  section  31  in  the  extreme  southwestern  corner  of  the  town- 
ship. These  bores  show  that  Orange  township  contains  some  gas, 
but  the  oil  outlook  is  not  promising, 

*  Data  by  Lewis. 


54  THE    PETROLEUM    INDUSTEY   OF   EASTEEN    ILLINOIS.         [bull.  2 

CUMBEELAND     CoUNTY. 
GEOLOGY. 

This  county  lies  west  of  Clark  and  south  of  Coles  counties,  and 
comprises  an  area  of  836  square  miles.  "The  Embarras  river  traverses 
the  county  from  north  to  south,  and  this  rivpr  and  its  tributaries,  are 
the  only  streams  of  any  note  within  its  borders.  The  central  portion 
of  the  county  along  the  river  and  its  affluents  is  well  timbered,  while 
the  eastern  and  western  portions  are  mainly  prairie. 

"The  surface  deposits  of  this  county  comprise  the  alluvial  bottoms 
of  the  Embarras  and  its  tributaries,  and  a  considerable  thickness  of 
gravelly  clays  and  hardpan  which  increases  in  depth  to  the  north- 
ward. In  the  southern  portion  of  the  county  the  drift  deposits  range 
from  20  to  40  feet  in  thickness,  consisting  mainly  of  brown  or  buff 
gravelly  clays  with  numerous  boulders;  but  to  the  northward  this 
thickness  is  increased  to  50  or  75  feet,  the  lower  portion  being  a 
bluish-gray  hardpan  similar  to  that  in  Clark  county. 

"All  the  rock  formations  of  this  county  below  the  drift  belong  to 
the  Upper  Coal  Measures,  and  include  the  beds  intervening  between 
the  Quarry  Creek  limestone  of  Clark  county  and  the  No.  15  or  Shel- 
byville  coal  of  Shelby  county,  making  an  aggregate  thickness  of  200 
to  250  feet.  ]So  workable  coal  outcrops  in  the  county,  and  for  deep 
mining  a  shaft  would  have  to  be  carried  down  from  600  to  1,000  feet 
to  reach  the  main  coals  of  the  lower  measures."  * 

The  railway  facilities  of  the  county  are  good;  the  Vandalia  Divis- 
ion of  the  Pennsylvania  crossing  its  southeastern  portion;  the  Illi- 
nois Central  the  central  portion  from  north  to  south;  while  the  T., 
St.  L.  &  W.  and  the  Illinois  Central  cut  the  northwestern  corner. 
The  elevation  in  feet  above  tide  of  the  principal  railway  stations  in 
the  county  are  as  follows:  Greenup,  549;  Jewett,  583;  Neoga,  651; 
Toledo,  600;  Vevay  Park,  619;  Woodbury'  584. 

Oil  in  commercial  quantities  has  as  yet  been  found  only  in  Union 
township  in  the  northeastern  part  of  the  county.  A  number  of  bores 
have  been  sunk  in  Crooked  Creek  township,  just  to  the  south  of 
Union,  but  so  far  all  have  proven  barren.  These  two  townships  alone 
will  be  considered  in  the  present  connection. 

OIL   WELLS. 

Union  township — This  civil  township  lies  just  west  of  Barker  and 
Casey  townships,  Clark  county,  and  comprises  parts  of  six  congress- 
ional townships,  viz:  Townships  11  and  10  north,  ranges  11,  10  and 
9  east.  Townships  10  and  9  north,  range  11  east  comprise  but  a 
single  row  of  sections  lying  adjacent  to  the  Clark  county  line.  This 
is  due  to  a  correction  line  running  north  and  south  on  this  meridian. 

The  oil  producing  area  in  Union  township  is  known  locally  as  the 
"Siggins  Pool",  as  a  large  part  of  it  was  originally  leased  and  the  first 
w6lls  sunk  by  a  man  of  that  name.  He  disposed  of  his  holdings, 
about  600  acres  of  leases  and  six  producing  wells,  to   the   Ohio  Oil 


A.  H.  Worthen,  in  Vol.  6,  III.  Geo.  Surv.,  pp.  98,103. 


BLATCHLEY]  SIGGINS'    POOL.  55 

Company  for  1185,000.00,  the  sale  being  made  in  February,  1906. 
The  pool  lies  two  to  four  miles  northwest  of  Casey  and  forms  an  im- 
portant part  of  the  present  Casey  oil  field.  The  surface  is  for  the 
most  part  level,  though  cut  in  places  by  the  smaller  tributaries  of 
Range  and  Lost  creeks.  No  accurate  record  of  bores  have  been  kept, 
and  it  is  not,  therefore,  possible  to  refer  the  oil  bearing  stratum  to  any 
one  member  of  the  Upper  Coal  Measures.  During  the  month  of 
April,  1906,  thirty-five  Bores  were  drilled  in  the  township,  but  three 
of  which  were  dry.  The  total  initial  output  of  the  thirty- two  produc- 
ing wells  was  1,721  barrels,  an  average  of  53.8  barrels  per  well,  which 
is  far  above  the  average  initial  output  for  the  same  number  of  wells 
in  most  fields. 

In  the  northern  part  of  Union  township,  embraced  within  the  con- 
gressional townships  11  north,  11,  10  and  9  east,  there  are  no  produc- 
iag  wells.  A  dry  hole  was  sunk  on  the  N.  Wood  lease,  in  the  southeast 
quarter  of  section  30  (11  N.,  11  E.),  and  a  second  one  on  the  Schuyler 
farm,  in  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  36  (11  N.,  10  E.) 

In  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  6  (10  N.,  11  E.)  a  bore  on  the 
Stotts  lease  was  also  barren,  as  was  one  on  the  Reinbolt  farm,  in  the 
northeast  quarter  of  section  3  (10  N.,  10  E.)  In  the  latter  bore  a 
white  salt  water  sand  was  struck  at  300  feet,  and  "  coal,"  five  feet 
thick,  at  420  feet.  A  second  water  sand  was  found  at  560  feet,  and 
continued  to  604,  when  the  hole  was  abandoned. 

The  Yanaway  farm  of  320  acres  in  the  south  half  of  section  1  and 
the  north  half  of  section  12  (ION.,  10  E.)  was  leased  to  the  Jennings 
Bros.,  of  Pittsburg,  for  $15,000. ( 0  bonus  and  one-sixth  royalty,  though 
dry  holes,  above  mentioned,  had  been  drilled  on  three  sides  of  it.  The 
first  bore  on  the  lease  started  at  twenty-five  barrels.  The  same  com- 
pany paid  $6,000.00  bonus  and  one-sixth  royalty  for  the  Emrich  lease 
of  eighty  acres  in  the  northwest  quarter  of  section  7,  Casey  township. 

The  Siggins  pool,  as  outlined  by  the  drill  up  to  May  10,  covers  an 
area  9f  a  little  more  than  six  square  miles,  extending  from  the  middle 
of  sections  7  and  18,  Casey  township,  to  the  center  of  sections  11  and 
14,  Union  township.  It  is  thus  about  two  miles  wide  from  north  to 
south  by  three  miles  in  length.  In  this  area  the  drift,  while  it  has  a 
comparatively  level  surface,  varies  much  in  thickness,  a  range  of  40 
to  160  feet,  sometimes  occurring  on  a  forty-acre  tract.  The  oil  of  the 
Siggins  pool  is  found  in  a  grayish  or  whitish  sandstone,  25  to  60  feet 
in  thickness,  the  top  of  which  lies  320  to  410  feet  below  the  surface. 
This  sandstone  rests  upon  a  black  shale,  10  to  18  feet  thick,  below 
which  is  sometimes  found  a  blue  shale  and  in  other  places  a  white 
salt-water  sandstone.  Above  the  producing  sand  there  is  in  most 
places  a  close-grained  blue  shale,  fifteen  or  more  feet  in  thickness, 
which  lias  served  as  an  impervious  cover  to  retain  the  oil.  In  other 
places  a  limestone  about  five  feet  thick  lies  just  above  the  sand.  In 
a  number  of  wells  two  veins  of  "  coal "  are  reported,  one,  three  feet 
thick,  at  160  to  170  feet  below  the  surface;  the  other  five  feet  thick 
about  300  feet  below,  and  usually  20  to  40  feet  above  the  sand.    Where 


56  THE    PETROLEUM    INDUSTRY   OF    EASTERN    ILLINOIS.         [bull.  2 

this  so-called  coal  exists  a  blue  shale  usually  fills  the  space  between 
the  coal  and  sand,  though  it  is  sometimes  replaced  in  its  lower  part 
by  lime. 

A  number  of  good  producing  wells  have  been  completed  on  the  west 
half  of  section  7  and  the  north  half  of  section  18  (10  N.,  11  E.)  One 
of  these  on  the  Kite  lease,  in  the  northwest  quarter  of  section  18,  had 
the  following  record: 

*  Feet. 

Drive  pipe 90 

Casing 325 

Gray  shale 325-362 

Top  of  sand 362 

Total  depth 427 

This  well  was  shot  with  100  quarts  and  started  at  about  eighty 
barrels. 

Four  bores  have  been  sunk  on  the  Chrysler  lease  adjoining,  in  the 
northeast  quarter  of  the  section.     The  records  of  Nos.  1  and  4  foUovv^: 


• 

No.  1- 
feet. 

No.  4— 
feet. 

95 
320 
419 
450 
500 
518 

90 

Casing 

338 

Top  of  oil  sand 

389 

Bottom  of  oil  sand      . .             ..     .  . 

459 

Shale  to 

472 

Total  depth    

472 

In  both  wells  the  "  shell "  or  cap  of  the  producing  sand  was  a  hard, 
impure  nodular  limestone,  containing  crystals  of  iron  pyrites.  This 
cap  ran  3  to  5  feet  in  thickness  and  lay  just  below  twenty  or  more 
feet  of  a  close-grained  blue-gray  clay  shale.  The  top  of  "the  produc- 
ing sand  in  No.  4  below  the  cap  was  a  micaceous  sandstone,  rather 
fine  grained,  and  light  gr^y  in  hue.  The  sand  gradually  became 
coarser,  darker  and  more  porous,  up  to  434  feet,  where  the  best  oil 
was  found.  The  grains  were  here  more  rounded  or  less  angular  than 
above  and  below  this  point.  At  439  to  444  feet  it  was  still  quite  pro- 
ductive, but  was  much  finer  and  lighter  in  hue.  At  459  feet  it  be- 
came coarser  and  darker  again,  and  at  464  feet  had  merged  into  a  dark 
bituminous  shale.  In  No.  1  well  this  dark  shale,  struck  at  450  feet, 
was  twelve  feet  thick  and  was  followed  by  a  blue  shale  in  which  the 
drill  stopped  at  518  feet.  The  casing  in  most  of  the  wells  in  the 
Siggins  pool  is  set  on  the  streak  or  cap  of  lime  or  "  shells  "  just  above 
the  pay. 

When  shot  with  100  quarts  No.  1,  Chrysler  made  117  barrels  in 
eleven  hours,  and  the  four  wells  on  the  same  lease  averaged  eighty 
barrels  initial  output.  When  the  productive  rock  was  struck  it 
showed  oil  immediately.  A  bluish  gray  shale  was  the  first  rock 
encountered  below  the  drift. 


Blatchley  ] 


DUNN   LEASE. 


57 


Three  or  four  good  wells  have  been  conipleted  on  the  Lame  lease 
of  eighty  acres  in  the  southwest  quarter  of  section  7  (10  N.,  11  E.) 
The  records  of  Nos.  1,  2  and  3  show: 


No.  1. 

No.  2. 

(feet) 

(feet) 

60 

65 

288 

306 

314 

32o 

340 

349 

382 

407 

No.  3. 

(feet) 


Drive  pipe 

Casing 

Top  of  sand... 

First  oil 

Bottom  of  sand 


68 
323 
323 
340 
407 


No.  2  was  600  feet  east  of  No.  1,  and  No.  3  the  same  distance  east 
of  No.  2.  It  is  said  that  a  soft,  bluish  shale  lies  immediately  above 
the  oil  sand  and  merges  gradually  into  it. 

Section  12  (10  N.,  10  E.)  is  also  a  rich  producing  area.  Two  bores 
on  the  Dunn  lease  on  the  northeast  quarter  had  the  following  record: 


No.  1. 

(feet) 

No.  2. 

(feet) 

Drift          ..                                     .     .  .. 

140 

180 
330 
338 
376 
412 

156 

212 

Coal  and  black  shale                ....                

331 

3.36 

First  oil                     

374 

Total  depth 

405 

The  first  rock  struck  was  a  shale,  140  to  156  feet  below  the  surface. 
In  these  wells  the  limestone  at  180  and  212  feet  was  evidently  the 
Quarry  creek  limestone  No.  2  of  the  Clark  county  section.  From  the 
top  of  this  stone  to  the  top  of  the  sand  was  158  feet.  As  the  oil 
occurs  in  a  sandstone  immediately  below  a  "  coal,"  it  is  perhaps  No. 
15  of  the  Clark  county  section,  which  there  lies  beneath  a  hard,  black 
shale  approaching  cannel  "  coal,"  168  feet  below  the  top  of  the  Quarry 
creek  limestone. 

*  On  the  Haworth  lease  in  the  southeast  quarter  of  the  southwest 
quarter  of  section  11,  were  eight  producing  wells  on  April  20,  which 
were  taking  240  to  270  barrels  per  day.  The  records  of  No.  5  and 
No.'^8,  1,400  feet  west  were  as  follows: 


No.  5. 

(feet) 

No.  8. 
(feet) 

Drive  pipe                      .... 

164 
330 
345 
376 
384 

143 

Casing 

330 

Top  of  sand      ...                                  

340 

Best  pay 

380 

Total  depth 

433 

h  |In  well  No.  1,  on  the  same  lease,  the  drift  was  13B  feet  thick,  and 
the  top  of  the  oil  sand  315  feet  deep;  so  that  the  sand  runs  pretty 
uniformly  in  this  region  about  180  to  185  feet  below  the  top  of  the 
first  rock  struck  in  the  bore,  which  would  bring  it  near  No.  15  of  the 
Clark  county  section. 


58  THE   PETEOLEUM    INDUSTEY   OF   EASTEEN    ILLINOIS.         [bull.  2 

The  pay  sand  in  No.  1  bore  is  said  to  have  run  continuous  from  337 
feet,  where  the  first  oil  was  struck,  to  395  feet,  a  distance  of  58  feet. 
In  No.  8  the  bore  was  still  in  sand  at  433  feet,  but  it  was  harder  than 
where  struck  at  360,  a  distance  of  73  feet.  Nos.  15,  16  and  17  of  the 
county  section  aggregate  58  to  75  feet.  These  might  all  be  called 
sand  by  the  driller.  The  best  wells  on  the  Haworth  lease  would,  it  is 
claimed,  make  eighty  barrels  per  day  when  pumped  separately. 

Samples  of  the  oil  producing  rock  from  the  Haworth  lease  show  a 
fine  grained  white  sandstone,  tinged  brown  with  oil,  and  with  occa- 
sional glistening  scales  of  mica  intermingled.  An  analysis  by  F.  F. 
Grout  showed  its  composition  to  be: 

Percent.. 

Calcium  carbonate  (CaCOs) 2.98 

Magnesium  carbonate  (MgCOs) 2.00 

Alumina  and  iron  oxide  (Al203+Fe203'j 3.17 

Insoluble  or  silica  (SiOs) 89.08 

On  the  lease  just  west  of  the  Haworth,  in  the  southwest  quarter  of 
the  southwest  quarter  of  section  12,  there  is  said  to  be  84  feet  of  oil 
sand  "resting  on  coal."  When  they  strike  this  coal  in  this  region  they 
quit  drilling,  as  below  it  salt  water  is  usually  found.  This  "coal"  is 
probably,  like  all  others  in  the  region  at  that  horizon,  a  black  shale. 

Only  the  east  half  of  section  11  has  been  drilled.  Here  the  top  of 
the  sand  occurs  at  363  feet,  while  the  oil  is  found  at  409  to  415  feet, 
and  the  wells  start  from  15  to  40  barrels  each.  There  is  no  production 
west  of  this  point. 

To  the  south,  in  section  14,  a  well  which  had  but  a  very  little  show 
of  oil  was  drilled  on  the  Lancet  farm,  its  record  being: 

Feet. 

Drive  pipe : 152 

Casing 509 

Top  of  sand 509 

Total  depth 551 

This  was  the  most  westerly  well  in  the  Siggins  Pool  on  May  10th. 
One  or  two  good  producers  have  since  been  finished  on  the  Lacey 
farm  to  the  east. 

In  section  13  the  best  wells  have  been  sunk  on  the  Queen  farm,  in 
the  southwest  quarter.  Here  in  No.  1  bore  the  drift  was  100  feef 
thick  and  the  top  of  the  sand  330  feet  below  the  surface.  The  sand 
was  67  feet  in  thickness  and  below  it  was  a  carbonaceous  shale,  ac- 
cording to  notes  by  Mr.  Lewis.  In  No.  2  it  was  50  feet  through  drift 
to  a  soft  slate  rock;  to  top  of  sand  292  feet.  Total  depth  384  feet,  or 
92  feet  in  sand. 

On  the  Carpenter  farm,  in  the  northwest  quarter  of  the  northwest 
quarter,  the  top  of  sand  was  330  feet  down,  and  it  was  64  feet  thick. 
The  majority  of  the  wells  in  this  section  are  only  fair  producers. 

A  dry  hole  was  sunk  on  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  23,  in 
which  no  sand  whatever  was  found  until  a  depth  of  630  feet  was 
reached,  when  a  salt  water  sand  was  encountered.  "Coal"  six  feet 
thick  was  found  at  a  depth  of  420  feet. 

Several  gas  wells  and  one  or  more  dry  holes  have  been  bored  on 
section  24.  One  or  two  fair  oil  wells  have  also  been  drilled  on  the 
north  half  of  the  northeast  quarter  of  the  section;  the  80  acres  having 


BLATCHLEY.]  UNION   CENTER    WELLS.  59 

been  leased  to  the  Ohio  Oil  Company  for  $7,000  bonus  and  one- sixth 
royalty.  A  bore  on  the  S.  Rooks  farm,  in  the  south  half  of  the  north- 
east quarter  had  the  following  record: 

Feet. 

Drive  pipe 85 

Casing 340 

Top  of  sand 517 

Total  depth 536 

This  was  quite  a  gas  producer,  the  output  from  this  and  neighbor- 
ing wells  being  used  as  fuel  for  drilling  and  pumping  many  of  the 
bores  in  the  Siggins  Pool.  The  Ohio  Oil  Company  charged  $30.00 
per  well  for  fuel  sufficient  for  drilling.  The  contracting  driller  pays 
for  his  own  fuel  and  receives  $1.00  per  foot  for  his  work. 

Another  gas  well,  540  feet  in  depth,  on  the  northwest  quarter  of  the 
southeast  quarter  of  the  section,  struck  gas  sand  at  515  feet  and  a 
second  layer  at  525  feet,  a  thin  layer  of  shale  intervening.  An  oil  well 
which  started  at  about  four  barrels  was  drilled  on  the  Miller  farm  in 
the  south  half  of  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  24,  the  producing 
sand  being  found  at  490  feet.  Another  bore  on  the  southwest  quarter 
developed  one  layer  of  "sand"  at  342,  and  the  second  or  "gas  sand" 
at  525  feet,  but  both  were  barren.  Two  small  oil  wells  were  later 
bored  on  the  northeast  quarter  of  the  southwest  quarter. 

In  section  19  (10  N.,  HE.)  a  small  well  has  been  sunk  on  the 
Gosset  farm,  in  the  north  half  of  the  southwest  quarter.  The  top  of 
sand  was  struck  at  455  feet,  and  oil  encountered  seven  feet  lower. 
The  oil  sand  went  out  at  470  feet,  but  the  well  was  drilled  to  492  feet, 
the  underlying  black  shale  being  nine  feet  in  thickness. 

The  above  covers  all  the  producing  territory  in  Union  township  to 
May  10th.  Several  dry  holes  have,  however,  been  drilled.  One  of 
these  in  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  16  had  a  record  as  follows: 

Feet. 

Top  of  sand 320 

Bottom  of  sand : 370 

"Coal" 444 

Pebble  sand , 4.50 

Total  depth 721 

Another  dry  hole  is  located  on  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  9, 
one-half  mile  south  of  Union  Center.     It  showed: 

Feet. 

1  Drive  pipe 100 

2  Limestone  shell  at 220 

3  Top  of  sand 390 

4  Bottom  of  sand 420 

5  Limestone  shell 620 

6  Total  depth 670 

The  "shells,"  Nos.  2  and  5,  are  usually  found  just  above  the  pro- 
ducing sand.  Only  a  little  rotten  sand  was  found  below  No.  5  shell 
at  620  feet,  while  only  one  screw  (5  feet)  of  the  productive  sand 
found  at  390  feet,  was  soft  and  loose  enough  to  have  held  oil. 

A  dry  hole  in  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  30  (10  N.,  10  E.), 
three  miles  northeast  of  Greenup,  had  a  record  as  follows : 

Feet. 

Drive  pipe 80 

Casing 420 

White  water  sand ,320 

Second  sand 44.5 

Bottom  sand TjOO 

Salt  water  sand 574 

Bottom  of  water  sand 580 

Total  depth 607 

Bottom  in  shale. 


60  THE    PETROLEUM    INDUSTRY    OF    EASTERN    ILLINOIS.  [BULL.  2 

The  usual  producing  sand,  struck  at  445  feet,  contained  neither  gas, 
oil  nor  salt  water. 

Crooked  Creek  toivnship. — This  township  lies  south  of  Union  and 
west  of  Casey  and  Johnson  townships,  of  Clark  county.  All  bores 
sunk  in  it  to  May  first  were  barren.  In  one  of  them,  on  the  Tute- 
wiler  farm,  in  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  32,  (10  N.,  10  E.) 
sandstone  was  reported  to  extend  from  140  to  420  feet  below  the  sur- 
face. An  "oil  sand,"  which  was  barren,  was  struck  at  555  feet  and 
extended  to  575  feet,  the  bottom  of  the  bore. 

Another  bore  on  the  Thomas  lease,  in  the  north  half  of  section  14, 
showed: 

Feet. 

Drive  pipe 3*^ 

Casing 28'^ 

Top  of  sand 380 

Bottom  of  bore 63* 

Fifteen  feet  of  barren  sand  were  found.  A  third  bore  near  Hazel 
Dell,  on  the  southwest  quarter  of  section  30  (9  N.,  11  E.)  was  drilled 
in  835  feet  and  stopped  in  sandstone,  its  partial  record  being : 

Feet. 

Drive  pipe 93 

Casing 247 

Gas  at 475 

Saltwater 700 

Others  were  drilled  on  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  21,  764  feet  in 
depth,  and  near  Hidalgo  on  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  33  (U  N., 
10  E.),  755  feet  deep,  but  no  other  records  were  obtainable.  A  well 
which  produced  a  large  supply  of  excellent  mineral  water  was  drilled 
in  section  8,  Greenup  township,  near  the  town  of  Greenup. 

A  dry  hole  on  the  Dorsey  farm,  in  the  west  half  of  section  7  (9  N., 
10  E.),  two  miles  southeast  of  Greeup,  was  finished  May  5th,  its 
record  showing: 

Feet. 

Drive  pipe 52 

Limestone ^l^ 

Fresh  water  sand 345 

Casing 460 

Casey  "sand"— shells  only 464 

Salt  water  sand.. 515 

Black  shale 530 

Limestone 540 

Salt  water  sand 650 

Total  depth 684 

CEAWFOED  COUNTY. 

GEOLOGY. 

This  county  lies  adjoining  the  Indiana  line,  south  of  Clark,  east  of 
Jasper  and  north  of  Lawrence  and  Richland  counties.  The  surface 
of  its  area  of  438  square  miles  is.  for  the  most  part,  prairie  or  gently 
rolling  upland.  In  the  southern  portion,  in  which  the  majority  of 
the  producing  oil  wells  are  located,  it  is  more  or  less  broken  by  the 
erosion  of  the  streams  tributary  to  the  Embarras  river,  which  runs 
diagonally  across  the  southwestern  corner  of  the  county.  Other 
water  courses  are  the  North  Fork,  traversing  its  western  border  from 


BLATCHLEY.]  CEAWFORD    COUNTY.  61 

north  to  south;  Crooked  creek,  also  in  the  southwest  part;  and 
Brushy  Fork,  Lamotte  creek,  Sugar  creek,  and  some  other  small 
streams  in  the  eastern  portion  of  the  county. 

"The  surface  deposits  of  the  county  consist  of  buff  or  drab  marly 
clays  belonging  to  the  loess,  which  are  found  capping  the  bluff's  of 
the  Wabash  and  attaining  a  thickness  of  ten  to  twenty  feet  or  more 
and  from  twenty  to  forty  feet  of  brown  gravelly  clays  and  hard  pan, 
the  latter  resting  upon  the  bed  rock  or  separated  from  it  by  a  thin 
bed  of  stratified  sand  or  gravel.  If  these  beds  were  found  in  a  verti- 
cal section  they  would  show  the  following  order  of  succession: 

Feet. 

Buff  and  drab  marly  clays  or  sands 10  to  20 

Brown  and  yellow  gravelly  clays 15  to  20 

Bluish  gray  hardpan 10  to  25 

Sand  or  gravel 0         3 

Generally  these  superficial  deposits  are  thin  in  this  county,  and  at 
most  places  the  bed  rock  will  be  found  within  fifteen  or  twenty  feet 
of  the  surface. 

"The  exposed  stratified  rocks  of  Crawford  county,  like  those  of 
Clark  and  Cumberland,  all  belong  to  the  Upper  Coal  Measures,  the 
lowest  beds  appearing  in  the  bluffs  of  the  Wabash  river  and  the 
highest  along  the  western  borders  of  the  county,  and  include  the 
horizon  of  coals  Nos.  11,  12  and  13  of  the  Illinois  section."* 

The  following  combined  section  of  an  exposure  in  the  bluffs  just 
below  Palestine  Landing  with  that  of  a  shaft  sunk  123|  feet  deep  in 
search  of  coal  at  that  landing,  give  a  fair  knowledge  of  a  portion  of 
the  Upper  CoalMeasure  strata  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  county: 

Section  of  Bluff  Exposure  and  Coal  Shaft  at  Palestine  Landing. 

Feet.    Inches. 

1  Covered  slope  of  loess  and  drift 15  to  20 

2  Shelly  brown  limestone  with  fossils 2 

.3    Bituminous  shale  and  thin  coal  No.  12 1  to    2 

4  Sandy  shales  and  sandstone 45  to  50 

5  Bituminous  shale  with  numerous  fossils 2  to    3 

6  Coal  No.  11 1 

7  Hard,  dark  gray  bituminous  limestone 2  to    3 

8  Shale 21  8 

9  Coal  No.  10 2  to    3  6 

10  Fireclay 3 

11  Hard  limestone 3  6 

12  Sandstone 21 

13  Brown  shale 6  6 

14  Limestone  with  fossils 0  6 

15  Gray  sandy  shale 2 

16  Limestone 0  8 

17  Clay  shale 1  4 

18  Limestone 0  6 

19  Sandstone  and  shale 38  6 

20  Black  shale 2 

21  Coal  No.  9 0  6 

22  Fire  clay,  not  passed  through 

Total : 186  2 

"The  shaft  was  sunk  to  reach  a  coal  seam  reported,  in  a  boring  pre- 
viously made,  to  be  four  feet  thick  and  at  a  depth  of  123  feet.  The 
bore  was  made  about  a  mile  and  a  half  northwest  of  the  shaft,  and 
commenced  fifteen  feet  below  a  thin  coal   which  outcrops  in  the  hill 

*See  p.  19 


62  THE    PETROLEUM    INDUSTRY   OF   EASTERN    ILLINOIS.         [bull.  2 

above.  The  bore  was  made  for  oil  during  the  oil  fever  in  1865,  and 
the  shaft  mentioned  was  sunk  to  the  horizon  of  a  coal  seam  reported 
four  feet  thick  in  the  bore,  but  on  reaching  it  in  the  shaft  it  proved 
to  be  two  feet  of  bituminous  shale  and  six  inches  of  coal. 

"Robinson  is  located  on  a  sandstone  deposit  overlying  all  the  rocks 
found  in  the  bluffs  at  Palestine  Landing,  indicating  a  decided  dip  of 
the  strata  to  the  westward.  When  the  demand  for  coal  shall  be  such 
as  to  justify  deep  mining,  the  lower  coals  in  this  county  may  be 
reached  at  a  depth  of  400  to  600  feet.  Their  nearest  approach  to  the 
surface  is  along  the  valley  of  the  Wabash  river  and  the  depth  would 
be  increased  to  the  westward  by  the  dip  of  the  strata  and  the  eleva- 
tion of  the  surface."* 

The  following  detailed  record  of  one  of  the  bores  for  oil  or  gas 
made  on  the  D.  0.  Jones  farm,  one  and  one  half  miles  north  of  Rob- 
inson,t  was  furnished  me  by  C.  S.  Jones  of  that  town. 

Record  of  Bore  on  D.  C.  Jones  Farm,  Southwest  Quarter  of  Section 

22  {T.7  N.,E.  12  W.) 

Feet.  Feet. 

1  Soil 2 

2  Clay  and  sand 8  10 

,3    Sandstone 12  22 

4  Shale  ("soapstone") 42  64 

5  Coal  and  black  shale 2  66 

6  Underclay  ( "gray  shale") 4  70 

7  Limestone 15  70 

8  Shale 25  110 

9  Water,  sand 10  120 

10  ■  Gray  shale 18  138 

11  Dark  shale  (slate) 37  175 

12  Light  shale 15  190 

13  Reddish  shale 10  200 

14  Light  shale 8  208 

15  Dark  shale 12  220 

16  Light  sand  rock 8  228 

17  White  shale  ("clay" ( 17  245 

18  Darkshale 16  261 

19  Light  shale 14  275 

20  Sandstone  ("rock  sand") 40  315 

21  Brown  shale  30  .345 

22  Black  shale 5  25o 

23  Lightshale 20  .370 

24  Brownshale 25  395 

25  Darkslate 7  402 

26  Darklime 6  408 

27  LightShale 22  430 

28  Hardlimerock 7  437 

29  Dark  hrown  shale 10  447 

30  Lightshale 43  490 

31  Darkshale 42  532 

32  Coal 4  538 

33  Fire-clay  ("lightshale") 8  544 

34  Lime  rock 5  549 

35  Shale 8  .557 

36  Sandstone 18  575 

37  Coal 2  577 

38  Fire-clay  ("rock") 5  282 

39  "Slate" 10  592 

40  Shale 8  600 

41  Sandstone 27  627 

42  Shale  8  635 

43  Hardrock 4  639 

44  Coal 2  641 

45  Fire-clay 15  656 

46  Sandstone 10  666 

47  Shale 44  710 

48  Sandstone 30  740 

49  Brownshale 10  750 

50  Grayshale 40  790 

*A.  H.  Worthen  in  111.  Geol.  Surv.,  Vol.  vi.  pp.  23,  et.  seq. 
tSee  p.  14. 


BLATCHLEY.J  CEAWFORD    COUNTY   WELLS.  63 

Record  of  hove — Concluded. 

Feet.  Feet. 

51  Blackshale 40  830 

52  Water  sand  (salt  water) 40  870 

53  Darkshale 35  905 

54  Shale 55  960 

55  Sandy  shale  (first  gas) 10  970 

56  Shale 30  1,000 

57  Sand  rock,  white  to  brown 35  1,0.35 

58  Shale 10  1,045 

59  Sandstone 72  1,117 

60  Dark  shale  with  16  in.  vein  of  coal 7  1,124 

61  Sandstone  and  sandy  shale 40  1,164 

62  Brown  sand 10  1,174 

63  Sandstone  (second  g-as) 12  1,186 

64  Sandstone 22  1,208 

65  Shale 17  1.225 

86  Limestone  and  shells  65  1,290 

67  Limestone,  hard,  dark  gray, crystaline 40  1,330 

But  little  water  was  in  the  hole  down  to  1100  feet,  but  at  that  depth 
a  heavy  vein  of  salt  water  was  struck  in  stratum  No.  60,  and  another 
at  1170  feet  in  No.  68.  Stratum  No.  58  is  said  to  be  .the  oil  bearing 
stratum  of  the  Athey  and  other  wells  north  of  Robinson.  When  dis- 
colored by  oil  the  sand  is  brown;  otherwise  white.  Shale  No.  57,  ly- 
ing between  the  first  gas  and  first  oil  bearing  strata,  varies  in  thick- 
ness. In  the  Athey  well  it  is  said  to  have  been  replaced  by  nine 
inches  of  iron  pyrites.  The  gas  from  stratum  No.  64  came  up  through 
a  bore  nearly  full  of  salt  water,  and  burned  eight  to  ten  feet  high  for 
several  hours. 

OIL    WELLS. 

Prairie  Township — This  township  lies  in  the  northern  part  of  the 
county  and  comprises  parts  of  congressional  townships  7  and  8  north, 
ranges  12  and  IB  west.  It  has  been  recently  formed  by  taking  two 
and  a  half  sections  off  of  the  east  side  of  Licking  township  and  three 
sections  off  of  the  west  side  of  Hutsonville  township  as  shown  on  the 
old  maps.  A  number  of  bores  have  been  sunk  within  its  bounds, 
some  of  which  are  yielding  oil,  others  furnish  gas,  while  several  were 
barren. 

The  first  drilling  was  done  on  the  W.  F.  Athey  farm,  in  the  west 
half  of  section  17,  (8  n.,  12  w.)  in  the  summer  of  1905.  A  partial 
record  of  the  bore  shows : 

Feet. 

1  Lime  rock 130 

2  Red  shale 480 

3  Saltwater 922 

4  Top  of  gas  sand 953 

5  Good  supply  of  gas 9.55 

6  Second  gas 970 

7  Oil  at 976 

8  Total  depth 978 

A  large  amount  of  gas  was  developed  which  has  since  been  piped  to 
the  town  of  Annapolis,  two  miles  to  the  northwest.  The  well  has  not 
been  shot,  and  the  yield  of  oil  is,  therefore,  slight. 

Four  other  bores  were  soon  put  down  on  the  east  half  of  section 
18,  two  of  which  yield  gas  and  oil,  one  oil  alone,  while  one,  sunk  to  a 
depth  of  1402  feet  on  the  Emily  Athey  farm,  in  the  northwest  quarter 
of  the  section,  is  practically  dry.  A  record  of  its  bore  from  the  top 
of  the  oil  sand  on,  shows  as  follows: 


64 


THE   PETROLEUM    INDUSTRY   OP    EASTERN    ILLINOIS..        Tbuli.. 


Topofoilsand Feel 

Bottom  of  oil  sand 9t 

.shale 9j 

Sandstone ' .' 9j 

Saltwater  in  sand...! '.'. 9£ 

"Slate" lot 

Sandstone los 

Salt  water  in  sand...'.'!.'!!! 104| 

Slate J05! 

Coal.  5  feet  thick!!!!! !  106 

Sandstone no 

Slate !;"" Ill 

Sandstone tH 

gi^^te-- !!!!!!!!!!!!:!!!!!!!'! 125 

Sandstone 137' 

Limestone; 138- 

Total  depth 139j 

rp,       ,.  "o; 

Ihe  limestone  at  1898  feet  is  probably  one  of  the  Huron  limestones 
which  underlie  the  Mansfield  sandstone  of  the  Coal  MeSures  ir 
^feenn^h'T-  ^here  are  three  beds  of  these  limestones  fi?:  c 
60  feet  m  thickness,  and  two  beds  of  alternating  sandstone  It  is  iri 
one  of  the  latter  that  the  oil  occurs  near  Princeton,  IndLna  But  b 
small  amount  of  oil  was  produced  in  the  sand.  The  vein  of  coal  at 
No  6  nf7l?.'  P^°''^bly  black  shale  in  part,  and  corresponds  to  th 
f  1  ■  ^"^  "^T**®  7®"  ''^''*'''°'  ^""nd  at  1124  feet.  The  presence 
of  coal  m  these  two  deep  bores,  at  a  point  below  the  oil  p^oducW 
stratum  probably  shows  that  the  latter  belongs  to  the  Coal  Measure! 
or  Carboniferous  formation,  and  probably  lies  near  the  base  of  the 
Coal  Measures  just  above  the  Mansfield  sandstone   or  "conglomerate 

^u^^f'l^?^f^f''°^^li'^S^^^^^sontheeiist  half  of  the   section   yield 

o^SsSrSSaX'  "'^"  ''"^'"'-     ^^^'^^'■^  '«  nopipeline,\he 

of  ?he  Tt^r LV*"'  ^f  "^ ''«'?"  «"^1^  °n  section  20,  one  mile  southeast 
l^.lf  %T"i      ^T®""',  Three  of  these  on  the  Cox  farm,  on  the   west 

™   o  d  te  ''Th°"'  '^^^!  fl°r'^  "'^*."''"''  ""''""^  P™Pi-g'  -*-«  tanks 

Oh^n  0?fp'  ^^^"^  leas?' .in  the  southeast  quarter  of  the  section,  the 
S  No  1  show^^''''^       '  ^^°  '^^^  producers.      The  records 

10-inch  drive  pipe Feet. 


8-inch  casting- 
6J^-inch  casting  . 

Top  of  sand 

Total  depth 


21 

603 
847 
970 
1,004 


The  oil  is  found  in  a  light  brown  sandstone.     No.  1,  when  shot  and 

ficall    baTOn""^'  ^''''^^''^'^  ^"^  ^^^^^^^  ^^  ^^^  ^^^^s-      ^o.  2  was  prac- 

A  good  gas  well  has  been  drilled  on  the  C.  M.  Hill  lease,  in  the 

hw/'lt"^''^'^^^^^^  jnstsonthof  the  wells  aboVe  men 

tioned.     Its  record  shows: 

10-inch  drive  pipe......  Feet. 

8-inch  casting ' ' 28 

6J^-inch  casting ."* 450 

Top  of  productive  sand  "  ." 940 

Gas ""' 947 

Show  of  oil  ....'■.". ' 957 

Total  depth. ".' 947 

1,020 


ILLINOIS  GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY 


The  Crawford  county  oil  fie! 


Bull.  No.  2,  PI.  4. 


R.  12  W. 

Tio 


R.  I  I  W. 


ferritory  Gaswelis  Dry  holes 


1  Scale  2  miles  to  the  inch. 


BLATCHLEY.]  CEAWJ^'OED    COUNTY   WELLS.  65 

The  well  was  not  shot.  When  packed  it  is  said  to  have  registered 
280  pounds  rock  pressure.  Bore  No.  2  on  the  same  lease  was  finished 
May  12,  and  is  a  good  oil  producer,  yielding  over  100  barrels  the 
first  day. 

Two  miles  further  southeast,  in  the  northwest  quarter  of  section  33, 
three  bores  on  the  H.  M.  Hill  farm  have  each  developed  small  oil 
producers.  In  No.  1  the  top  of  the  sand  was  struck  at  1,011  feet  and 
continued  to  1,040.  This  well  had  a  fair  showing,  but  the  casing  was 
damaged  in  shooting,  so  that  its  real  output  cannot  be  gauged..  No. 
2,  600  feet  south,  found  the  top  of  pay  sand  at  1,000  feet  and  the 
bottom  at  1,020  feet.  It  will  yield  10  or  15  barrels  per  day  when  put 
to  pumping. 

The  tirst  bore  sunk  in  that  part  of  Prairie  township  formerly  be- 
longing to  Licking,  was  on  the  Stanfield  lease,  in  the  southeast 
quarter  of  section  10,  (8  N.,  13  W.)  m  June,  1905.  It  struck  a  salt 
water  sand  at  820  feet,  and  was  abandoned  at  840  feet  without  having 
reached  the  productive  sand  afterward  found  in  the  bores  to  the  east 
and  south. 

A  bore  on  the  Umstott  lease  in  the  northwest  quarter  of  the  south- 
east quarter  of  section  12,  one  mile  northeast  of  Annapolis,  was  also 
barren,  the  sand  being  found  at  925  feet  and  extending  to  975  feet,  at 
which  point  a  strong  vein  of  salt  water  was  developed. 

A  dry  hole  on  the  Barrett  lease,  in  the  southwest  quarter  of  section 
22,  just  across  the  line  in  the  Licking  township,  was  sunk  to  a  depth 
of  1,000  feet;  while  a  light  gas  well  was  bored  one  mile  east  on  the 
Joseph  farm,  in  the  southwest  of  23;  the  top  of  sand  showing  at  800 
feet. 

Three  miles  farther  south  a  bore  on  the  R.  Kenire  farm,  northwest 
quarter  of  section  2,  (7  N.,  13  W.)  had  the  following  record: 

Feet. 

1  Top  of  rock 16 

2  10-inch  drive  pipe 85 

3  8-inch  casing 570 

4  6M  inch  casing 850 

5  Top  of  sand 900 

6  First  oil 906 

7  Bottom  of  pay '.  918 

8  Black  shale..... 918-965 

9  White  sandstone 965-995 

10  Total  depth 1, 003 

The  bottom  of  the  well  was  in  black  shale.  Salt  water  was  struck 
in  quantity  at  970  feet.  The  upper  sand  was  shot  with  20  quarts  and 
a  four- barrel  well  resulted. 

The  rig  was  moved  1,000  feet  northwest,  into  the  southeast  quarter 
of  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  3,  where  the  top  of  sand  was  found 
at  914  feet,  the  pay  streak  running  to  937  feet,  where  drilling  stopped. 
The  well  was  shot  with  40  quarts,  and  shows  up  for  a  20  barrel  pro- 
ducer. A  well  of  about  the  same  capacity  has  also  been  completed 
on  the  A.  Cain  lease  just  to  the  north. 

Lamotte  township — This  township  lies  south  of  Hutsonville  and 
east  of  Robinson  townships  and  embraces  parts  of  congressional 
townships  6  and  7  north,  11  west.  There  is  no  oil  produced  within 
its  bounds,  but  a  number  of  bores  have  been  sunk,  whose  records 
may  be  of  interest  to  future  operators. 

— 5  G  S 


66  THE    PETROLEUM    INDUSTRY    OF    EASTERN    ILLINOIS.  [bull.  2 

The  first  drilling  was  done  by  the  Palestine  Development  Company 
in  the  spring  of  1904.  This  company  put  down  a  core  drill  in  search 
of  coal  to  a  depth  of  940  feet  on  the  Patton  farm,  one  and  a  half  miles 
southeast  of  the  town  of  Palestine.  At  9B0  feet  oil  was  struck  in  a 
close  grained,  light  brown,  micaceous  sandstone.  It  was  accompanied 
by  salt  water  which  filled  up  and  flowed  out  of  the  hole.  A  Standard 
rig  was  erected  and  a  hole  bored  100  feet  to  the  north.  In  this  oil 
was  struck  at  about  the  same  depth.  The  well  was  shot  with  eighty 
quarts,  collapsing  the  casing  and  allowing  the  hole  to  fill  up  with  salt 
water,  after  which  it  was  abandoned.  A  third  bore,  250  feet  south, 
resulted  in  a  five  barrel  well. 

In  September,  1905,  a  bore  was  sunk  on  the  John  Richie  farm,  in 
the  southwest  quarter  of  section  25,  one  and  a  half  miles  northeast  of 
Palestine,  its  record  showing: 

Feet. 

10  inch  drive  pipe 103 

8  inch  casing 415 

6  y^  inch  casing: 880 

Top  of  oil  sand 896 

Through  oil  sand 959 

Total  depth 1050 

Only  a  showing  of  oil  was  found,  but  a  vein  of  salt  water  which  flowed 
100  barrels  an  hour  over  the  top  of  the  casing  was  developed. 

On  the  Trimble  lease,  in  the  northwest  quarter  of  section  18  (7  N., 

11  W.)  a  bore  was  sunk  in  which  the  supposed  productive  sand  of 
Hutsonville  township  was  struck  at  1020  feet,  but  proved  barren.  Salt 
water  in  abundance  was  found  at  1961  feet  and  the  well  was  abandoned. 

A  bore  on  the  Goodwin  lease,  in  the  section  11  (7  N.,  11  W,),  four 
miles  east  of  Trimble,  was  also  dry,  its  partial  record  showing:* 

Feet. 

Gas  in  white  lime 505 

Top  of  oil  sand 936 

Total  depth 998 

A  large  gas  producer  was  drilled  on  the  James  Richie  farm,  two 
miles  south  of  Palestine,  in  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  11  (6  N., 
11  E.),  a  record  of  which  shows: 

Feet. 

1  10  inch  drive  pipe 44 

2  8  inch  ca-^ing- 505 

3  6M  inch  casing 840 

4  Gas  sand 485 

5  Top  of  "oil  sand" 936 

6  Total  depth 998 

The  gas  found  in  No.  4  threw  sand  and  rock  over  the  top  of  the  der- 
rick for  thirty- two  days.  There  was  but  a  showing  of  oil  in  the  lower 
sand,  and  salt  water  was  struck  just  before  reaching  the  bottom.  As 
the  operating  company  was  in  search  of  oil,  not  gas,  the  well  was 
plugged  and  abandoned. 

On  the  Dickinson  lease,  three  quarters  of  a  mile  southwest,  on  the 
northeast  quarter  of  section  14,  another  bore  was  sunk  in  which  the 
top  of  the  ''oil  sand"  was  found  at  946  feet.  It  was  barren  of  oil,  but 
developed  salt  water  in  quantity,  and  the  well  was  abandoned  at  1027 
feet.  No  signs  of  gas  was  found  at  the  level  where  it  had  been  de- 
veloped in  the  Richie  well. 

*  Data  by  Lewis. 


BLATCHLEY.]  CRAWFORD   COUNTY   WELLS.  67 

Bohinson  township — This  township  lies  east  of  LaMotte  and  south 
of  Hutsonyille  and  Prairie  townships,  and  embraces  most  of  congres- 
sional township  7  north  12  west,  and  the  north  half  of  6  north  12  west. 
A  brief  account  of  the  first  bores  sunk  near  the  town  of  Robinson  has 
already  been  given.* 

Oil  in  commercial  quantities  has  as  yet  been  found  only  in  the 
southwestern  portion  of  the  township.  A  gas  well  which  supplies  in 
part  the  town  of  Robinson  with  fuel  is  located  on  the  Price  farm,  near 
the  northeast  corner  of  sectson  7  (7  N.,  12  W.)  In  it  the  gas  pro- 
ducing sand  was  found  at  1011  feet,  the  total  depth  being  1080  feet. 
The  capacity  of  the  well  is  about  2,000,000  cubic  feet  per  day.  It  was 
bored  in  August,  1905  and  gas  was  first  piped  to  Robinson  in  January, 
1906.  About  200  meters  are  in  use,  the  charge  being  20  cents  per 
1,000  cubic  feet. 

In  the  southwest  part  of  the  township  several  bores  have  been  sunk 
for  oil  since  developments  began  in  the  Oblong  township  field  to  the 
southwest.  The  first  of  these  was  on  the  Walters  lease,  in  the  south- 
west quarter  of  section  36,  three  and  a  half  miles  west  of  Robinson. 
In  it  the  top  of  the  pay  sand  was  struck  at  902  and  the  first  oil  found 
at  904  feet.  The  well  filled  up  and  made  several  flows.  At  the  time 
visited  it  had  just  been  put  to  pumping  and  produced  twenty-five 
barrels  in  twenty  hours. 

A  bore  on  the  Wm.  Weirich  lease,  in  the  northwest  quarter  of  sec- 
tion 24,  resulted  in  a  twenty  barrel  well. 

A  bore  on  the  north  half  of  section  29,  Montgomery  township, 
Crawford  county,  five  miles  east  and  four  miles  south  of  Robinson, 
developed  a  big  supply  of  gas  at  870  feet,  and  another  at  910  feet.  At 
920  feet  quite  a  spray  of  oil  was  blown  out  by  the  escaping  gas,  but 
not  sufficient  to  justify  pumping. 

A  dry  hole  was  bored  on  the  southwest  quarter  of  section  5,  near 
the  station  of  Flatrock,  and  three  miles  south  of  the  gas  well  above 
mentioned. 

Ohlong  township. — This  township,  lying  south  of  Prairie  and  west 
of  Robinson  townships,  is  the  principal  oil  producing  center  of  Craw- 
ford county.  The  first  bore  within  its  bounds  came  in  as  a  good  pro- 
ducer on  Feb.  2,  1906,  and  since  that  date  the  work  of  the  drill  has 
been  unceasing.  The  oil  is  found  in  a  coarse  grained,  whitish  sand- 
stone at  depths  ranging  from  885  to  920  feet  below  the  surface. 

A  10- inch  drive  pipe  is  used  in  the  Oblong  field  to  shut  off  gravel, 
sand  and  fresh  water  of  the  drift.  It  rests  on  the  first  rock,  either 
shale  or  sandstone.  An  8-inch  casing  shuts  off  all  fresh  water  found 
in  the  layers  of  sandstone  or  limestone.  A  6^-inch  casing  is  used  to 
shut  off'  salt  water  and  caves  in  the  shale  above  the  oil  sand.  It 
usually  reaches  to  within  50  or  75  feet  of  the  oil  sand  and  in  some 
wells  to  its  top. 

During  the  year  1905,  Anchor  and  Seybert,  a  Pennsylvania  firm  of 
operators,  had  secured  leases  on  20,000  acres  of  territory  in  southern 
Crawford  county.  In  order  to  have  some  test  wells  put  down  for  as 
little  expense  as  possible,  they  granted  the  Minnetonka  Oil  Company 
the  first  half  of  each  lease,  for  testing  the  field.     This  company  sub- 

*  See  p.  14 


68  THE   PETROLEUM    INDUSTRY   OF   EASTERN    ILLINOIS.         [bull.  2 

granted  to  Hughes  and  Finley  2,800  acres,  provided  they  would  sink 
two  test  wells,  one  on  the  Shire  lease,  in  the  northwest  quarter  of  sec- 
tion 15  (6  N.,  13  W.),  six  miles  southwest  of  Robinson;  the  other  on 
the  A.  M.  Brown  lease,  in  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  25  (7  N., 
14  W.),  one  and  a  half  miles  north  of  Oblong.  The  Shire  well  was 
the  first  one  drilled,  its  record  showing: 

Feet. 

10-inch  drive  pipe 26 

8-inch  casing 487 

614- inch  casing: 800 

Gas  sand 830 

Top  of  oil  sand 885 

Total  depth 896 

The  oil  began  to  flow  as  soon  as  the  producing  sand  had  been  pierced 
two  feet,  and  the  well  filled  seven  250  barrel  tanks  by  April  20th, 
without  shooting;  or  pumping. 

A  large  amount  of  gas  was  also  produced  at  830  to  850  feet,  the 
output  being  estimated  at  1,000,000  or  more  cubic  feet  per  day.  This 
and  gas  from  the  No.  1  Birch  well  to  the  east,  operated  by  the  same 
company,  is  sold  for  drilling  purposes  in  the  field,  a  charge  of  $5.00 
for  each  twenty-four  hours'  drilling  being  made. 

This  strike,  like  all  others  of  importance  in  a  new  field,  created 
much  excitement  among  the  oil  fraternity.  Scores  of  operators  and 
lease  brokers  flocked  to  the  field,  and  leases  which  had  gone  begging 
at  one-eigth  royalty  a  month  before  were  soon  commanding  $30.00  to 
$40.00  an  acre  bonus,  and  one-sixth  royalty. 

Some  difiiculty  was  experienced  in  drilling  the  Brown  well  in  sec- 
tion 25,  and  it  was  not  completed  until  about  April  20,  though  oil 
sand  was  reached  in  March.     Its  record  showed: 

Feet. 

10-inch  drive  pipe 1 19 

8-inch  casing 520 

6V4-inch  casing 910 

Top  of  sand 1,004 

Total  depth 1 ,  014 

The  well  was  first  reported  to  have  filled  up  and  run  over  with  oil, 
and  this  only  added  to  the  demand  for  leases.  When  finally  finished 
and  put  to  pumping  it  was  only  a  three  or  four  barrel  producer. 

Although  the  roads  were  in  very  bad  condition,  within  less  than  a 
fortnight  after  the  strike  in  the  Shire  well,  a  dozen  rigs  were  build- 
ing, and  by  April  1  the  wells  began  to  come  in.  As  usual,  some  were 
dry,  or  nearly  so,  but  the  majority  ranked  from  fair  to  good  producers. 
As  the  depth  to  oil  is  over  twice  as  great  as  in  the  Casey  field,  the 
time  and  money  necessary  to  complete  a  well  is  correspondingly 
great.  Instead  of  machines,  as  in  the  Casey  field.  Standard  rigs  are 
used,  which  adds  much  to  the  cost. 

A  bore  on  the  York  farm,  in  the  southwest  quarter  of  section  33, 
about  half  way  between  the  stations  of  Oblong  and  Stoy,  came  in  as 
a  small  producer  on  April  11th.  A  partial  record  of  the  strata  passed 
through  and  the  iron  used  is  as  follows: 


BLATCHLEY.]  CRAWFORD   COUNTY   WELLS.  69 

Feet. 

1  Soil,  clay  and  gravel 130 

2  10-inch  drive  pipe 135 

3  Water  sand 300 

4  Water  sand 360 

5  8-inch  casing 400 

6  Coal 420  to  425 

7  Shale  gas 600 

8  Coal 670  to  676 

9  Grayslate 77.^ 

10  Slate  and  shale 800 

11  Brown  sandstone 819 

12  Oil  and  gas  sand 816  to  835 

13  Brown  sandstone 855 

14  Brown  shale 864 

15  Black  slate 882 

16  Gray  sandstone 898 

17  Black  slate 926 

18  614-inch  casting 930 

19  Oil  and  sand  at 9-32 

20  Salt  water 945 

21  Total  depth 952 

The  upper  sand,  No.  12,  made  about  two  barrels  of  oil  and  quite  a 
quantity  of  gas,  but  this  was  cased  off.  The  well  was  not  shot,  and 
started  to  pumping  15  to  20  barrels  of  oil  and  as  much  or  more  salt 
water  per  day. 

A  bore  on  the  Cornell  lease,  near  the  station  of  Stoy,  near  the 
northeast  corner  of  section  3  (6  N.,  13  W.),  showed  as  follows: 

Feet. 

10-inch  drive  pipe 89 

8-inch  casing 328 

614-inch  casing 750 

First  gas 865 

First  oil  (showing  only) 900 

Second  oil  (showing  only) 945 

Total  depth 1,008 

[3 1-Drilling  was  stopped  when  a  big  flow  of  salt  water  was  encountered. 
The  usual  producing  oil  sand,  found  at  945  feet,  was  only  seven  feet 
thick. 

On  the  A.  Boa  lease,  one-half  mile  east  of  Stoy,  a  fair  producing 
oil  well,  with  a  big  supply  of  gas,  was  completed  about  May  10.  A 
light  producer  was  also  drilled  on  the  Dennis  lease  in  the  southwest 
corner  of  the  same  township. 

In  section  11,  to  the  south,  the  only  drilling  that  has  been  done  is 
in  the  southwest  corner  on  the  Newlin  lease,  where  a  good  well  was 
finished  about  May  5,  its  record  showing: 

Feet. 

Drive  pipe 41 

8-inch  casing 369 

Coal— 4  foot  vein 465 

614-inch  casing 829 

Top  of  sand 885 

First  oil 890 

Bottom  of  pay  sand 913 

Total  depth 942 

The  well,  when  shot,  started  to  flow  and  yielded  100  barrels  ihe 
first  24  hours.  It  is  located  less  than  one-half  mile  northeast  of  the 
Shire  well. 

In  section  10,  to  the  west,  three  bores  were  sunk  previous  to  May 
10.  One  of  these,  on  the  J.  H.  Lackey  farm,  in  the  southwest  quar- 
ter, had  the  following  record: 


70  THE    PETROLEUM    INDUSTRY    OF   EASTERN    ILLINOIS.         [bull.  2 

Feet. 

10-inch  drive  pipe 55-3^ 

8-in-.h  casing 436 

Coal,  6  feet  thick 460 

6M-inch  casingr 837 

Limestone  shell,  2  feet  thick 862 

Black  slate  up  to 900 

Top  of  oil  sand 921 

Gas 924 

Oil 932 

Bottom  of  oil  sand 960 

Samples  of  drillings  from  the  producing  rock  show  it  to  be  a  white 
coarse  grained  sandstone,  with  an  occasional  small  piece  of  iron 
pyrites  intermingled.  The  well  filled  up  in  86  hours,  and  when  shut 
in  made  several  flows.     About  15  feet  of  good  pay  sand  was  present. 

A  bore  on  the  William  Lackey  lease  in  the  northeast  quarter  was 
light,  as  was  also  one  on  the  Imboden  farm  in  the  southwest  quarter. 
The  record  of  the  latter  shows: 

Feet. 

Drive  pipe 79 

8-inch  casing 408 

6V4-inch  casing 809 

Top  of  oil  sand 847 

Bottom  of  oil  sand 868 

Total  depth 951 

No  wells  had  been  completed  in  the  sections  west  of  the  Imboden 
up  to  May  10,  but  to  the  south  and  southwest  there  were  a  number. 
Of  these  the  farthest  southwest  was  on  the  Baldwin  lease  in  the  south- 
west quarter  of  section  17  (6  N.,  13  W).     Here  the  record  showed: 

Feet. 

Drive  pipe 96 

8-inch  casing 390 

6M-inch  casing 843 

Top  of  sand 900 

Oil  to 914 

Bottom  of  sand 925 

The  sand  was  overlain  with  a  black,  bituminous  shale,  and  the  well 
is  said  to  be  good  for  about  forty  barrels  per  day. 

On  section  16,  to  the  east,  a  bore  on  the  Mitchell  lease,  northeast 
corner,  came  in  as  a  fair  producer,  the  top  of  sand  being  found  at  842 
feet,  and  the  best  oil  pay  at  about  888  feet.  A  shale  lies  between  the 
gas  pay  and  the  oil  pay  in  this  part  of  the  field. 

Section  15  has  proven  the  best  in  the  Oblong  field.  A  bore  on  the 
Riker  farm  in  the  northeast  corner  shows  for  a  good  well,  while  just 
to  the  east  on  the  Walker  lease  is  also  a  good  one.  In  the  northeast- 
ern corner  is  the  Shire,  the  pioneer  of  the  field.  In  No.  1  Walker,  the 
top  of  sand  was  struck  at  901  feet,  and  was  15  feet  thick.  The  well 
flowed,  without  shooting,  90  to  105  barrels  a  day  until  two  tanks  were 
filled,  and  was  then  shut  in.  A  good  producer  has  also  been  com- 
pleted on  the  Mann  lease  in  the  southwest  quarter,  but  No,  1  Wake- 
field, just  east,  was  dry  at  1,040  feet. 

The  Birch  farm  in  the  northwest  quarter  of  14,  one-eighth  of  a  mile 
east  of  the  Shire  wells,  has  yielded  two  good  producers,  No.  2,  one  of 
the  best  in  Crawford  county,  starting  at  200  barrels.  '  The  record  of 
No.  1  showed: 

Feet. 

10-inch  drive  pipe 81 

8-inch  casing 450 

6J4-inch  casing S'iO 

Gas  sand 865 

vShale 873-890 

Top  of  oil  sand 890 


BLATCHLEY.]  CRAWFORD    COUNTY    WELLS.  71 

The  top  of  oil  sand  was  only  penetrated  a  few  feet  when  the  well 
began  flowing  23  to  30  barrels  a  day.  It  filled  two  tanks  and  was 
then  slmt  in  until  pipe  lines  were  available.  A  vein  of  coal  "nine 
feet  thick"  was  reported  at  640  feet  in  the  bore.  No.  2,  which  was 
completed  May  12,  spouted  every  25  minutes  after  shooting,  each  time 
throwing  oil  higher  than  the  derrick.  A  dam  was  thrown  up  to  retain 
the  oil  which  soon  filled  the  tanks  and  overflowed.  The  well  was 
finally  shut  off  to  await  additional  tankage. 

A  gas  sand  was  found  in  the  Birch  wells,  as  well  as  in  the  Shire 
and  Walker  wells,  about  20  feet  above  the  oil  sand,  with  shale  inter- 
vening. 

The  J.  H.  Taylor  well,  one-half  mile  south,  was  light,  yielding  but 
ten  to  fifteen  barrels  per  day  after  shooting.     Its  record  showed: 

Feet. 

10-inch  drive  pipe 49 

8-inch  casing 424 

6V4-inch  casing- 843 

First  oil  showing- 889 

Top  of  oil  sand 902 

Oil  at 912 

Bottom  of  hole...., 970 

Drillings  of  the  producing  rock  from  this  well  appear  to  have  come 
from  a  sandy  shale  rather  than  a  sandstone  proper.  Numerous  par- 
ticles of  iron  pyrites,  which  appears  to  be  a  constituent  of  the  pro- 
ducing rock  in  this  field,  were  present. 

To  the  southeast  one-half  mile,  a  bore  on  the  Chas.  Martin  lease 
came  in  as  a  fair  producer,  its  record  being: 

Feet. 

Drive  pipe 85 

8-inch  casing 402 

6M-incli  casing 833 

Top  of  oil  sand 872 

Shale ; 889-894 

Oil  sand 894-920 

This  well  also  flowed  natural  from  40  to  60  barrels  per  day. 

This  completes  the  records  of  wells  finished  in  Oblong  township  to 
May  10.  The  results  show  that  oil  in  quantity  undoubtedly  exists  in 
south  Oblong  and  southwestern  Robinson  townships  in  one  of  the 
Lower  Coal  Measure  sandstones,  at  a  depth  of  870  to  940  feet  below 
the  surface.  The  difference  in  depth  is  due  to  the  dip  of  the  oil  bear- 
ing rock,  or  the  difference  in  surface  elevations  of  the  wells,  or  both. 
Until  the  wells  are  put  to  pumping  regularly,  no  one  can  say  what 
the  production  will  be,  nor  can  any  one  at  this  time  intelligently 
prophesy  to  the  size  of  the  future  field  or  its  length  of  life.  It  is  not 
yet  a  field  but  a  prospect,  though  a  good  one. 

In  the  months  of  May  and  June  development  work  in  Oblong  town- 
ship made  rapid  progres,  On  June  11th  the  following  additional 
borings  had  been  completed: 

Abbott  and  Newland— (S.  W.,  S.  W.,  Sec.  11.)  Top  sand  885-910 
feet;  shale  910-915;  oil  sand  915-942,  bottom;  shot  with  80  quarts; 
flowing  40  barrels. 

J.  W.  Imboden— (N.  W.,  S.  W.,  Sec  10 )  Top  sand  847-865; 
lower  sand  absent,  bottom  55I ;  shot  with  60  quarts ;  flowing  10  bar- 
rels 

Baldwin— (N.  E.,  S.  W.,  Sec.  11.)  Oil  903-918;  shale  10  feet;  oil 
sand  to  bottom,  930 feet;  not  shot;  flows  60  barrels. 


72  THE    PETROLEUM    INDUSTRY    OF    EASTERN    ILLINOIS.  [BULL.  2 

J.  W.  Demin— (S.  W.,  S.  W.,  Sec.  2.)  Top  sand,  883;  pay  888-900; 
bottom  956;  shot  with  80  quarts;  pumped  25  barrels  first  day,  then 
abont  eight  barrels ;  not  being  pumped. 

W.  J.  Stephenson— (N.  W.,  N.  E.,  Sec.  2.)  Gas,  about  5,000,00 
cu.  feet,  at  920-937;  bottom  of  hole,  992  feet. 

Lawrence  County. 

Many  leases  have  been  taken  over  a  strip  ten  miles  wide,  extending 
from  Oblong,  forty  miles  to  the  southeast  through  Lawrence  and 
Wabash  counties,  but  up  to  the  first  of  may  no  wells  had  been  com- 
pleted, though  a  number  were  reported  drilling.  On  the  Captain 
Lewis  farm,  five  miles  north  of  Bridgeport,  Lawrence  county,  gas  was 
struck  at  600  feet,  and  the  bore  is  being  drilled  deeper  for  oil. 

On  the  10th  of  June  wells  were  reported  from  the  following  points 
in  Lawrence  county: 

Lewis  well— (S.  W.,  S.  W.,  Sec.  20,  Petty  township.)  Oil  at  885 
feet;  not  shot;  said  to  be  pumping  15  barrels. 

Josiah  Pepple— (S.  W.,  S.  W.,  Sec.  23,  Petty  township.)  Now 
drilling. 

S.  Mathias— (N.  E..  N.  E.,  Sec.  10,  Christian  township,)  Now 
drilling. 

Lathrop  farm — (S.  W.,  Sec.  20,  Petty  township.) 

Feet. 

10  inch  casing 20 

8V4  inch  casing 60 

6M  inch  casing- 675 

Salt  sand 590-660 

Oil  sand 805-820 

Second  oil  sand 867-880 

The  hole  was  stopped  in  sand.  Coal  was  found  at  360-365  and  at 
540-546  feet.  The  first  seemed  to  be  of  good  quality.  The  second 
bed  was  poor, 

Edgar  County. 

In  this  county,  which  lies  north  of  Clark  and  next  to  the  Indiana 
line,  a  number  of  bores  have  been  sunk,  but  the  resulting  wells  have, 
for  the  most  part,  proven  barren. 

On  section  9,  Grandview  township,  four  miles  north  and  eight 
miles  east  of  Westfield,  a  bore  showed  the  following  partial  record: 

Feet. 

Top  of  rock 80 

Top  of  first  sand 380 

Bottom  of  first  sand 405 

Top  of  second  sand 425 

Gas  at 427 

Total  de pth 435 

The  well  was  capped  in  and  the  volume  of  gas  which  it  would  sup- 
ply is  not  known. 

About  one  mile  southeast  of  Barton,  a  small  oil  producer  has  been 
drilled,  the  top  of  the  pay  sand  being  found  at  360  feet.  As  there  is 
no  other  production  in  the  neighborhood,  the  well  has  never  been 
thoroughly  tested. 


BLATCHLEY.]  SOUTHEEN    ILLINOIS    OIL    WELLS.  78 

A  bore  on  the  J.  E.  Pinnell  farm,  one-half  mile  south  of  the  station 
of  Kansas,  passed  through  three  veins  of  coal  in  going  down  410 
feet.     No  oil  or  gas  was  found. 

Coles    County. 

This  county  lies  west  of  Edgar  and  Clark  and  north  of  Cumberland 
counties.  Several  bores  in  Hutton  township,  west  and  north  of  the 
Casey  field  have  proved  barren.  One  of  these,  in  section  5,  found  the 
"tojj  of  sand"  at  818  feet.  In  another  in  the  southwest  quarter  of 
section  17,  (12  N.,  10  E.),  the  sand  was  struck  at  485  feet.  A  third 
in  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  22,  was  bored  to  a  depth  of  605 
feet  before  striking  sand,  at  which  point  a  big  flow  of  salt  water  was 
developed.  Near  Hanley  Ford,  section  10,  (T.  11  N..  R.  9  E.)  a  little 
oil  is  said  to  have  been  found,  as  also  near  Oakland  and  Trilla.  On 
June  29  it  was  re]3orted  that  a  considerable  number  of  pumping  wells 
had  been  developed  in  this  county. 

Jasper  County. 

In  this  county,  which  lies  west  of  Crawford,  and  south  of  Cumber- 
land counties,  several  barren  or  salt  vfells  have  been  drilled.  One  of 
these,  on  the  Joseph  Harris  farm,  section  2,  Hunt  City  townshijj, 
developed  "  oil  sand  "  at  900  feet,  and  a  heavy  vein  of  salt  water  at 
1,200  feet.  Another  test  well  on  the  southeast  corner  of  the  S.  S. 
Leggett  farm,  section  4,  Willow  Hill  township,  two  miles  east  of 
Willow  Hill,  found  no  sand  to  the  depth  of  1196  feet. 

Clay  County. 

Nearlola  in  section  25  (T.  5  N.,  R.  ^  E.)  a  well  was  put  down  in 
1905  on  the  farm,  of  E.  W.  Morgan.  Oil  was  found  at  a  depth  of  252 
feet,  and  a  small  sample  examined  for  the  survey  by  J.  W.  Gill, 
showed  a  specific  gravity  of  .8741,  corresponding  to  80.1  deg.  Baume. 
Further  drilling  is  in  progress  to  determine  the  extent  of  the  field. 

Williamson  County. 

A  dry  hole  was  bored  near  Bainbridge  in  the  central  western  part 
of  this  county,  a  record  of  which  shows : 

Feet. 

10  inch  drive  pipe 5.3 

8%  inch  casing" 265 

6%  inch  casing =. 745 

Saltwater  sand 1,030 

Total  depth 1,082 

No  indications  of  either  oil  or  gas  were  encountered. 

Saline  County. 

[By  F.  F.  Grout,] 

It  is  reported  that  throughout  much  of  the  county  small  amounts 
of  oil  are  occasionally  found  in  prospecting  for  coal.  In  a  few 
places  the  oil  has  been  skimmed  off  the  water  and  proven  to  be  com- 
bustible. Recently  Mr.  J.  H.  Wallen,  of  Chicago,  while  drilling  on 
the  John  Small  farm  (N.  W.  of  N.  W.   Sec.   25,  T.   8  S.,  R.  5^  E.) 


74  THE    PETROLEUM    INDUSTRY    OF    EASTERN    ILLINOIS.  [BULL.  2 

noticed  that  the  drillings  were  quite  saturated  with  oil  and  collected 
as  much  as  a  bushel  of  the  oil  sand.  A  little  gas  also  occurred.  The 
oil  sand  was  found  at  a  depth  of  444  feet;  lower  than  the  Harrisburg 
coal.  From  the  quantity  of  drillings  collected  the  producing  sand 
must  be  of  fairly  good  thickness. 

Options  are  now  being  taken  on  land  from  Galatia  to  the  northwest 
corner  of  Saline  county,  and  careful  prospecting  is  to  be  expected. 
Gas  has  been  found  in  several  wells,  notably  in  section  1,  Eldorado 
township,  on  the  farm  of  Willard  Overton,  where  two  horizons  pro- 
duced gas,  one  at  219  feet,  and  one  near  the  coal  at  600  feet.  The 
gas  pressure  was  as  high  as  60  pounds  per  square  inch,  and  brought 
out  considerable  salt  water  as  it  came.     This  well  still  produces. 

In  the  northeast  corner  of  the  northwest  quarter  of  Sec.  22,  T.  8  S., 
R.  6B,  on  the  land  of  Mr,  Burkhart,  is  a  gas  well  with  much  the  same 
history  as  the  last  described.  Gas  was  found  in  the  rock  at  a  depth 
of  410  to  415  feet.     The  Harrisburg  coal  was  5  or  6  feet  lower. 

A  good  gas  well  also  occurs  on  the  land  of  John  Heffman,  near 
New  Hope. 

Indications  of  oil  were  good  in  a  well  on  the  farm  of  PuUy  Bros, 
near  Stone  Fort.  Oil  oozes  from  the  side  of  a  bluff  at  this  point. 
The  rocks  which  outcrop  here  are  probably  the  same  as  those  500  or 
600  feet  deep  in  the  northern  part  of  the  county. 

Randolph  County. 

[By  F.F.  Grout.J 

As  already  stated,  gas  was  sound  at  Sparta  some  time  since,  and 
was  for  several  years  quite  extensively  used.  For  a  time,  as  the 
supply  of  the  existing  wells  gave  out,  new  ones  were  drilled,  but  a 
number  of  dry  holes  being  struck,  efforts  to  enlarge  the  field  gradu- 
ally ceased.  In  connection  with  the  recent  development  of  oil  fields 
in  the  eastern  part  of  the  State,  attention  has  been  again  attracted  to 
Randolph  county  and  considerable  prospecting  is  now  being  carried 
on.  When  the  field  was  visited  in  June  two  holes  had  been  drilled, 
each  of  which  showed  some  oil.  From  these  a  few  barrels  of  oil  have 
been  bailed,  but  no  pumps  have  been  set  up  and  the  wells  have  not 
been  shot. 

One  well  was  sunk  on  the  farm  of  Mr.  Preston  at  the  eastern  edge 
of  town.  (Sec.  4,  T.  5  S.,  R.  5  W.)  Oil  was  struck  at  875  feet  in  a 
sandy  formation  5  feet  thick,  with  an  overlying  clay  or  shale.  Below 
there  were  10  feet  of  shale  and  15  feet  more  of  oil  bearing  rock. 

The  other  well  was  drilled  in  the  northeastern  corner  of  Sparta. 
Oil  was  struck  at  about  the  same  horizon.  The  shale  separating  the 
two  parts  of  the  oil  producing  rock  was  only  three  feet  thick,  and  the 
whole  thickness  of  oil  bearing  rock  is  so  great  that  it  is  thought  that 
the  well  on  Mr.  Preston's  farm  did  not  go  completely  through  it. 
Drilling  is  now  being  carried  on  one  mile  and  three  miles  south  of  town. 

Companies  are  being  organized  to  develop  other  parts  of  the  field. 
The  oil  bearing  rock  is  sandy  in  part  and  apparently  a  porous  lime- 
stone in  part.  A  little  salt  water  enters  the  wells  with  the  oil.  Oil 
and  water  now  fill  the  holes  about  half  way  up.  A  sample  from  the  Pres- 
ton well  was  analyzed  and  the  results  are  given  on  a  later  page  (p.  103). 


BLATCHLEY.] 


LITCHFIELD    OIL    WELLS. 


75 


Montgomery  County. 

According  to  Mr.  David  Davis,  of  Litchfield,  oil  was  first  found 
about  forty  years  ago  in  prospecting  for  coal  in  the  bottom  of  the 
mines.  The  drill  hole  was  carried  down  and  got  into  salt  water,  which 
threatened  to  flood  the  mine.  The  well  was  plugged,  and  later  an  oil 
well  was  drilled  near  by.  Oil  from  this  well  leaked  into  the  old 
workings  of  the  mine,  and  was  for  years  skimmed  off  the  water  and 
sold.  About  1886  a  number  of  wells  were  drilled  in  this  territory,  and 
both  oil  and  gas  was  found.  In  all  something  like  $150,000  was  ex- 
pended in  prospecting,  with  a  net  result  that  an  area,  approximately, 
one  mile  long  and  a  quarter  of  a  mile  wide  was  developed.  In  this 
area  several  wells  were  put  down  as  shown  upon  the  accompanying 
map,  (fig.  1),  and  from  them  oil  was  produced  up  to  two  years  ago 


TOWN    8    RANGE    5  WEST 


FIG.  1.    SKETCH  MAP  SHOWING  LOCATION  OF  OIL  AND  GAS  WELLS  NEAR 

LITCHFIELD,  ILL. 

Two  of  these  wells  are  still  in  condition,  but  have  not  been  pumped 
recently,  owing  to  the  low  price  of  the  oil.  For  some  time  this  sold 
at  L2|  cents  a  gallon,  and  it  was  very  largely  used  as  a  lubricationg 
oil  throughout  this  portion  of  the  State.  Competition  eventually 
forced  the  price  down  to  6  cents,  at  which  xorice  it  became  impossible 
to  pump  at  a  profit.     The   wells  still   available  for   production  are 


76 


THE    PETROLEUM    INDUSTEY    OF    EASTERN    ILLINOIS. 


[BULL.    2 


numbers  4  and  13,  on  the  accompanying  map.  This  year  some  new 
prospecting  has  been  carried  on.  New  wells,  as  indicated,  were  put 
down:  in  both  cases  very  near  the  old  wells  and  within  the  already 
known  limits  of  the  productive  territory.  These  wells  are  now  capped 
over  and  the  drilling  rig  has  been  moved  to  another  territory. 

A  considerable  amount  of  high  pressure  gas  was  found  in  connec- 
tion with  the  oil,  and  was  used  for  some  years  for  lighting  the  town. 
It  was  wasted,  as  is  usual  in  gas  regions,  and  for  several  years  now  it 
has  been  necessary  to  manufacture  gas  to  supply  the  local  demand. 
The  oil  is  found  not  far  below  the  coal,  which  is  mined  in  this  terri- 
tory, and  which  is  supposed  to  be  the  number  2  seam  of  the  Illinois 
Coal  Measures.  The  different  borings  with  their  altitude  and  the  depth 
and  thickness  of  the  gas  and  oil  sand  are  shown  in  figure  2, 


40' 

.WELL  NO.  5    BENCH    MAR'C 

FOR   GAS   Sand. 

— 

L- 

L- 

N0^1_4__4' 

30' 

-NPj-I? 7' 

NO.  9       10' 

No,  10            18' 

-  — 



— 

-- 

— 

NO.  13            24' 

10' 

NO.  3                 29' 



— 

— 

—  - 

— 

NO.  2                31' 

NC 

NO.  1                 34' 

o'     ^ 

S.  6  &  11           37' 

\.T. 

BENCH 

i 

MARK 

d 

6 

d 

o 

i 

d 

i 

o 
d 

i 

^ 

d 

d 

z 

z 

i 

d 

z 

_  N  0.  J- 4J'__ 

5 

-— 

— 

o 

g — 

— • 

NO.  7  -  Same  as  No.  5 

10' 

NO.  15          ■'       "       ••    u 

g 

o 

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1 
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1 

FIG. 


2.     DIAGRAM  SHOWING  DEPTH  AND  ELEVATION  OF  WELLS  AT 
LITCHFIELD,  ILL. 


Recently  drilling  has  been  begun  at  other  points  within  the  county, 
notably  near  Walshville.     It  is  reported  that  evidence  of  considerable 


SAVAGE.]  PITTSFIELD    GAS    WELLS.  77 

deformation  has  been  fonnd,  though  public  information  is  not  suf- 
ficient to  determine  the  course  of  the  lines  of  disturbance. 

The  oil  found  at  Litchfield  is  a  natural,  lubricating  oil,  and  has  a 
specific  gravity  of  .9236,  corresponding  to  21.  6"  B,  as  determined  by 
J.  W.  Gill  on  samples  collected  in  June,  but  which  had  been  standing 
for  some  time.    A  partial  analysis  is  given  on  a  later  page  (page  10b.) 


Pike  County  Gas  Field. 

(By  T.  E.  Savage.) 
INTRODUCTION. 

Pike  county  is  located  on  the  western  border  of  the  State  between 
the  Illinois  and  Mississippi  rivers.  The  topography  of  the  county  is 
quite  broken,  the  present  forms  having  been  largely  developed  through 
stream  erosion.  The  surface  relief  is  about  450  feet.  Like  that  of 
most  areas  adjacent  to  large  rivers,  the  surface  over  the  uplands  is 
much  dissected,  so  that  interstream  areas  of  level  prairie  are  neither 
numerous  nor  of  large  extent. 

The  elevations  above  sea  level  of  the  following  railway  stations  are 
taken  from  Gannett's  Dictionary  of  Altitudes  in  the  United  States: 
On  the  west,  along  the  flood  plain  of  the  Mississippi,  are  Seehorn, 
479  feet;  New  Canton,  468;  Kockport,  471;  Pike,  455.  Across  the 
north  side  of  the  county  are  Hull,  467;  Kinderhook,  480;  Barry,  672; 
Baylis,  871;  New  Salem,  780;  Pittsfield,  760;  Griggsville,  687.  Along 
the  south  side  are  Quincy  Junction,  465;  Nebo,  488;  Strout,  690; 
Pearl,  447. 

The  Wabash  and  the  Chicago  &  Alton  railways  furnish  good  trans- 
portation facilities  in  an  east  and  west  direction,  while  the  Chicago, 
Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad  connects  with  points  to  the  north  and 
south. 

GEOLOGY. 

The  geological  formations  exposed  in  Pike  county  belong  to  four 
different  systems.  Quaternary  or  Pleistocene,  Coal  Measures  or  Penn- 
sylvanian,  Lower  Carboniferous  or  Mississippian,  and  Silurian.  The 
relations  of  the  different  strata,  and  the  character,  distribution  and 
thickness  of  the  respective  formations  described  below,  were  obtained 
from  the  report  of  A.  H.  Worthen*  and  from  a  study  of  the  rocks 
of  the  central  and  northwestern  portions  of  the  county. 


*Worthen:    Geological  Survey  of  Illinois,  Vol.  4,  pp.  24-42,  1870. 


78  THE    PETROI-EUM    INDUSTRY   OF    EASTERN    ILLINOIS.         [bull.  2 

Geological  Formations. 


FORMATIONS. 

Thickness- 
feet. 

Pleistocene  Deposits. 

(Loess  and  Drift.) 

00-100 

Coal  Measures  (Pennsylvanian) . 

, 

20-60 

St.  Louis  limestone 

00-  30 

Lower  Carboniferous  (Mississippian) 

Keokuk  group 

100-125 

Burlington  limestone 

150-200 

Kinderhook  group 

100-120 

Niagara  limestone 

00-50 

Pleistocene — The  Pleistocene  deposits  consist  of  glacial  drift  and 
beds  of  alluvium,  loess  and  sand,  none  of  which  particularly  concern 
the  object  of  the  present  report. 

Coed  Measures — Strata  belonging  to  the  Coal  Measures  outcrop 
over  but  a  limited  area  in  the  central  and  northern  portions  of  the 
county.  They  underlie  the  surficial  materials  over  the  whole  of  town- 
ship 4  south,  range  4  west,  and  a  portion  only  of  the  four  surrounding 
townships.  The  materials  consist  of  shales  and  shaiy  sandstones 
with  a  narrow  seam  of  coal  in  the  lower  part.  The  entire  thickness 
of  the  formation  in  Pike  county  does  not  exceed  sixty  feet. 

A  single  seam  of  coal  sixteen  to  twenty- four  inches  in  thickness, 
with  occasional  local  thickenings,  was  worked  several  years  ago  at  a 
number  of  points,  in  townships  4  south,  ranges  111,  4  and  5  west,  and 
further  south  in  the  township  of  Pittsfield.  In  the  western  portion 
of  the  area  the  Coal  Measure  strata  rest  unconformably  upon  the 
Burlington  limestone.  Towards  the  north  and  east  they  are  spread 
upon  the  eroded  surface  of  the  Keokuk  beds. 

Mississippian — Of  the  Mississippian  rocks  in  Pike  county  there 
are  represented  strata  belonging  to  the  St.  Louis,  Keokuk,  Burling- 
ton and  Kinderhook  groups.  The  St.  Louis  limestones  are  exposed 
over  a  small  area  in  the  extreme  northeast  portion  of  the  county.  The 
beds  here  consist  of  brown,  magnesian  limestone  and  shale.  They 
range  from  twenty  to  thirty  feet  in  thickness. 

The  Keokuk  beds  are  present  over  a  considerable  area  in  the 
northern  and  northeastern  portions  of  the  county  where  they  are  fre- 
quently found  immediately  beneath  the  Coal  Measures;  the  St.  Louis 
strata,  which  should  properly  intervene,  having  been  removed  by 
denudation  prior  to  the  deposition  of  the  Coal  Measure  materials. 
The  Keokuk  beds  consist  of  light  gray  and  bluish-gray  limestones, 
which  in  places  are  crinoidal.  Towards  the  base  there  is  present  con- 
siderable chert.  The  upper  division  of  the  group  consists  of  thin- 
bedded  limestones,  beds  of  calcareo-argillaceous  shales,  which  contain 
numerous  geodes. 


SAV/.GE.]  GEOLOGY  OF  PIKE  COUNTY.  79 

The  Burlington  limestone  immediately  underlies  the  drift  over 
more  than  one-half  the  upland  surface  in  the  county.  Worthen 
describes  the  distribution  of  this  limestone  as  follows: 

"Commencing  on  the  western  side  of  the  north  line  of  the  county 
it  forms  a  belt  from  five  to  ten  miles  in  width,  the  western  border  of 
which  is  defined  by  the  river  bluffs,  and  extending  thence  to  the 
southern  line  of  the  county  lying  west  of  Pittsfield,  and  from  that 
point  northward  to  Griggsville  Landing,  and  south  to  the  Calhoun 
county  line,  underlying  all  the  highlands  in  that  portion  of  the  county 
south  of  Pittsfield,  except  a  very  limited  area  in  the  vicinity  of  Pleas- 
ant Hill,  where  the  Niagara  forms  the  surface  rock." 

Over  the  gas  field  area,  in  Pittsfield  and  Derry  townshij^s,  outcrops 
of  the  Burlington  limestone  expose  a  thickness  of  only  fifteen  to 
twenty  feet  of  the  lower  layers,  overlying  the  Kinderhook  shales.  For 
some  miles  southwest  of  this  area,  along  the  channel  of  Dutch  creek, 
the  strata  dips  nearly  with  the  fall  of  the  stream,  so  that  the  depth  of 
the  Kinderhook  shale  that  appears  above  the  water  level  remains 
almost  constant.  The  Burlington  beds  increase  in  thickness  in  the 
banks  of  this  creek,  until  in  the  vicinity  of  the  old  Packer  quarry,  ten 
miles  southwest  of  Pittsfield,  they  form  cliffs  fifty  to  seventy  feet  in 
height.  This  rock  is  a  rather  coarse-grained,  gray  limestone,  with 
intercalations  of  buff  or  brown  layers.  It  is  largely  composed  of 
shells  of  brachipods  and  fragments  of  joints  and  plates  of  crinoids, 
which  swarmed  in  countless  myriads  in  that  old  Carboniferous  sea. 

In  the  upper  part  there  are  present  large  quantities  of  chert  in  the 
form  of  lens-shaped  nodular  masses,  which  are  often  segregated  along 
the  planes  of  bedding  so  as  to  form  distinct  bands.  In  many  places 
over  the  north-central  portion  of  the  county  the  undisturbed  lower 
layers  of  the  Burlington  beds  are  succeeded  by  a  bed  of  chert  frag- 
ments three  to  ten  or  more  feet  in  thickness,  the  interstices  of  which 
are  filled  with  gray  shale.  These  fragments  carry  Burlington  fossils 
and  are  irregular  in  shape  and  size,  varying  from  a  few  inches  to  two 
or  three  feet  in  diameter.  They  lie  at  all  angles  with  respect  to  one 
another,  and  appear  to  have  been  concentrated  along  this  zone  through 
the  action  of  weathering  and  erosion  prior  to  the  deposition  of  the 
protecting  mantle  of  Coal  Measure  strata  or  Pleistocene  materials. 

The  Kinderhook  group  consists  principally  of  shales,  with  some 
sandstones  and  arenaceous  shales,  and  one  or  two  narrow  zones  of 
calcareous  material  in  the  upper  part.  The  beds  are  well  exposed 
beneath  the  Burlington  limestone  in  the  vicinty  of  Kinderhook.  They 
outcrop  almost  continuously  in  the  scarp  that  bounds  the  Mississippi 
river  along  the  west  side  of  the  county.  They  appear  in  the  banks  of 
the  tributaries  of  the  Mississippi  for  some  miles  back  from  its  channel. 
They  are  also  exposed  in  the  lower  portion  of  the  bluff  that  borders 
the  Illinois  river  from  the  town  of  Bedford  south  to  Calhoun  county. 

The  Kinderhook  beds  have  a  maximum  thickness  in  the  county  of 
about  1(30  feet.  In  the  most  of  the  natural  exposures  they  are  over- 
laid and  protected  by  the  more  obdurate  ledges  of  Burlington  lime- 
stone. 

Niagara  limestone — The  Niagara  limestone  which  belongs  to  the 
Silurian  system  outcrops  only  over  a  limited  area  in  the  southwest 


OU  THE    PETEOLEUM    INDUSTRY    OF    EASTERN    ILLINOIS.  [BULL.  2 

portion  of  the  county.  According  to  Worthen*  it  appears  at  the 
base  of  the  bluffs  between  Rockport  and  the  Pike-Calhoun  county 
line.  It  may  be  seen  for  some  distance  up  the  channel  of  Six  Mile 
creek.  It  is  the  prevailing  rock  at  Pheasant  Hill  where  a  thickness 
of  thirty  feet  is  exposed.  Two  miles  north  of  Pleasant  Hill  it  out- 
crops to  a  height  of  six  feet,  and  is  overlaid  by  Kinderhook  shales. 
About  two  miles  below  Atlas  there  are  fifteen  feet  of  Niagara  lime- 
stone underlying  beds  of  Kinderhook  age. 

Where  the  rock  first  appears  the  upper  portion  is  a  rather  thin 
bedded,  rough,  gray  limestone  becoming  more  massive  below.  On. 
Six  Mile  creek  it  is  partly  a  regular  bedded,  buff  or  brown  dolomite 
and  presents  the  usual  characters  of  the  formation  in  other  localities. 
The  maximum  thickness  of  the  Niagara  in  the  county  does  not  exceed 
fifty  feet. 

DEFORMATION  OF  STRATA, 

A  line  of  deformation  passes  across  the  southern  section  of  Calhoun 
county. t  When  it  intersects  the  Mississippi  scarp  at  the  Cap-au-Gr6s 
bluff  there  is  a  fault  which  involves  almost  the  entire  series  of  Pale- 
ozoic strata.  To  the  north  of  this  fault  line  there  is  an  up-throw  of 
the  beds  to  the  extent  of  1,000  feet,  bringing  the  St.  Peter  sandstone 
in  juxtaposition  to  the  rocks  of  the  Mississippian  series.  On  the 
south  of  the  fault  line  the  strata  have  been  but  slightly  dislocated 
and  dip  gently  towards  the  northeast. 

In  the  eastern  portion  of  the  county  the  fault  has  changed  to  an 
anticlinal  fold  which,  to  the  northward,  becomes  lost  in  the  valley  of 
the  Mississippi.  It  is  probable  that  this  disturbance  affected  the 
strata  for  some  distance  toward  the  north,  in  Pike  county. 

Worthen  describes  another  axis  which  probably  changed  the 
level  of  the  Mississippian  limestones  over  nearly  the  whole  extent  of 
Pike  county  and  resulted  in  the  subsequent  denundation  of  the  strata.§ 
It  occurs  in  the  vicinity  of  Six  Mile  creek,  and  its  effects  are  most 
apparent  in  the  northwest  quarter  of  section  7,  township  7  south, 
range  4  west.  At  this  place  the  Niagara  limestone  rises  abruptly 
from  beneath  the  surface  of  the  bottom  lands  at  the  foot  of  the  bluff's 
and  dipping  north  20  degrees  west,  at  an  angle  of  7  degrees,  rises  so 
as  to  form  a  perpendicular  cliff  from  forty  to  fifty  feet  in  height  within 
a  distance  of  scarcely  100  yards. 

The  presence  of  an  arch  in  the  strata  underlying  the  gas  producing 
area  will  be  shown  under  the  description  of  individual  wells. 

DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  GAS  FIELD. 

So  far  as  at  present  exploited,  the  gas  field  of  Pike  county  em- 
braces ah  area  about  seven  miles  in  length  and  four  miles  in  width. 
It  extends  in  a  northwest- southeast  direction  across  the  central  and 
northwestern    portions    of    Pittsfield    township   and   the   northeast 


*  Worthen:  Geol.  Surv,  of  111.,  Vol.  4,  p.  26. 

tWorthen,  A.  H.,  Geol.  Surv.  of  111.,  vol.  4,  p.  2.     See  also  Weller,  p.  21    of  the  present 
report. 

§Worthen,  A.  H.,  Geol.  Surv.  of  111.,  vol.  4,  p.  25. 


Savage] 


PIKE   COUNTY    GAS    WELLS. 


81 


quarter  of  Derry,  with  one  well  further  north  in  section  36  of  town- 
ship 4  south,  range  5  west.  The  location  of  the  borings  is  shown  on 
the  accompaning  map.  The  wells  are  numbered  later  in  the  order  in 
which  they  were  drilled  and  on  the  map  dry  holes  are  distinguished 
from  productive  wells  by  a  diffierent  symbol.  It  will  be  noticed 
that  a  line  drawn  across  the  field  from  the  center  of  the  north  side  of 


36 
D 

m    Trod 

uc/ng      g  a 
bale. 

s  vtfc  a. 

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IS- 

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A«- 

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ay 

ar 

a 

a-7 

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3a. 

55 

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3J- 

J6 

Fig.  3-SKETCH  SHOWING  LOCATION  OF  GAS  WELLS  NEAR  P1TTSFIELD,1LL. 

section  1  of  Derry  township  to  the  northeast  corner  of  section  36  of 
Pittsfield  will  practically  separate  the  area  of  productive  wells  from 
the  non-productive  portion  of  the  field. 

The  wells  are  all  shallow,  the  gas  being  reached  at  a  depth  of  75  to 
350  feet,  depending  largely  upon  the  inequalities  of  the  surface. 
There  is  evidence,  too,  that  the  beds  dip  strongly  towards  the  east, 
along  the  east  side  of  the  area.  An  inclination  of  the  strata  towards 
the  west  is  also  shown  along  Dutch  creek,  beyond  the  western  border 
of  the  field. 

Occurrence  of  the  Gas—  The  origin  of  natural  gas  and  the  con- 
ditions of  its  accumulation  have  been  discussed  in  the  preceding 
pages.     In  the  Pike  county  field  the  gas  occurs  along  an  arch  or  anti- 

— 6  GS 


82  THE    PETROLEUM    INDUSTRY    OF    EASTERN    ILLINOIS.  [bull.  2 

cline  of  strata,  the  eastern  limb  of  which  is  closly  determined  by  the 
line  separating  the  productive  from  the  dry  wells.  The  porns  stratum 
forming  the  reservoir  is  a  bed  of  yellowish  brown,  more  or  less  vesi- 
cular magnesian  limestone  which  probably  belongs  to  the  Niagara. 
The  thick  bed  of  Kinderhook  shales,  that  immediately  overlies  the 
Niagara  limestone  in  this  region,  provides  the  impervious  cover  to  the 
reservoir. 

The  pressure  of  gas  has  not  been  measured  in  any  of  the  wells  over 
this  field,  but  the  supply  furnished  by  an  average  well  is  many  times 
more  than  is  required  for  use  in  a  single  house.  In  the  stronger 
wells  when  the  drills  penetrated  the  gas  rock  the  outflow  of  gas  was 
sufficiently  strong  so  throw  out  the  water  and  mud  from  the  bottom 
and,  in  one  case,  a  fragment  of  rock  two  inches  in  diameter  was 
carried  to  the  top  of  the  hole.     None  of  the  wells  have  been  shot. 

The  gas  has  no  unpleasant  odor  and  it  burns  without  smoke,  giv- 
ing a  strong,  bright  flame. 

Analysis  of  Pitts  field  Gas. 

Percent. 

Carbon  Dioxide,  (COo)  .81 

Oxygen,  (Oo) 3.46 

Marsh  Gas,  (CH4) 73.81 

Nitrogen,  (N) 21.92 

Total 100.00 

A  slight  showing  of  oil  was  reported  from  a  few  of  the  wells.  Some 
of  the  samples  of  comminuted  gas  rock  that  were  examined  had  a 
distinct  odor  of  oil.  A  fragment  of  this  rock  at  the  home  of  Jerry 
Mink  showed  the  discoloration  as  well  as  odor  due  to  the  presence  of 
oil. 

Development  of  the  field. — Gas  was  first  found  in  Pike  county 
nearly  twenty  years  ago,  on  the  farm  of  Mr.  Jacob  Irick.  The  drill- 
ing was  made  for  water,  but  a  good  pressure  of  gas  was  struck  at  a 
depth  of  186  feet  The  well  was  cased  and  the  gas  piped  to  the  house 
to  which  it  has  since  that  time  furnished  an  abundant  supply  for  fuel 
and  light.  Soon  after  this  a  second  well  was  attempted  for  water  on 
the  same  farm.  At  a  depth  of  168  feet  gas  was  again  encountered. 
This  well  was  near  a  barn  and  the  hole  was  filled  for  fear  of  damage 
by  fire.  During  the  next  fifteen  years  no  effort  was  made  to  discover 
or  utilize  gas,  although  it  was  found  in  drilling  a  number  of  water 
wells  over  the  area. 

In  1905  a  well  was  put  down  on  the  farm  of  William  Irick  in  which 
a  strong  flow  of  gas  was  found.  Mr.  Irick  recognized  its  value  and 
at  once  piped  the  gas  over  his  premises.  Gradually  the  neighbors 
came  to  realize  the  advantages  of  using  gas,  and  one  after  another 
put  down    wells  in  the  hopes  of  obtaining  supplies  for  their  homes. 

Some  weeks  ago  the  gas  rights  on  a  tract  of  a  few  hundred  acres  of 
land  in  the  northwest  portion  of  Pittsfield  township  was  leased  for  a 
nominal  sum,  but  no  effort  has  been  made  to  exploit  the  field  in  a 
commercial  way,  or  to  determine  the  limits  of  the  gas  bearing  strata. 
Down  to  the  present  time  the  development  of  the  field  has  been 
wholly  by  the  owners  of  the  land  for  local  uses.     Two  drillers  have 


SAVAGE]  PIKE   COUNTY   GAS    WELLS.  83 

been  employed  pretty  constantly  for  the  past  few  months.  Up  to 
June  9,  1906,  thirty  wells  have  been  put  down  in  this  field,  all  but  six 
of  which  furnish  a  supply  of  gas. 

Description  of  wells. — Well  No.  1  was  drilled  for  water  nearly 
twenty  years  ago  on  the  farm  of  Jacob  Irick.  It  is  located  in  the 
northwest  quarter  of  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  1  of  Derry 
township,  on  land  now  owned  by  Albert  Gray.  The  well  is  186  feet 
deep,  and  it  has  furnished  abundance  of  gas  to  the  premises  since 
that  time. 

No.  2  was  put  down  for  water  a  short  time  after  No.  1,  on  the  same 
farm.  Gas  was  struck  at  a  depth  of  168  feet,  but  it  was  never  uti- 
lized.    The  well  was  not  cased  and  later  the  hole  was  filled. 

Less  than  two  years  ago  a  well  was  put  down  on  land  of  Andrew 
Trick  in  the  northwest  quarter  of  the  southwest  quarter  of  section  6 
in  Pittsfield  township.  The  drilling  was  discontinued  at  a  depth  of 
760  feet.     Gas  was  encountered,  but  no  effort  was  made  to  utilize  it. 

Well  No.  4  was  drilled  by  Jerry  Mink  at  his  home  near  the  north- 
west corner  of  section  6,  Pittsfield  township.  The  work  was  aband- 
oned at  a  depth  of  460  feet,  no  gas  having  been  found. 

No.  5  is  a  good  well,  located  one  mile  west  of  No.  3,  in  the  north- 
west quarter  of  the  southwest  quarter  of  section  1  in  Derry  township; 
on  land  owned  by  William  Irick.  The  depth  is  203  feet.  Abund- 
ance of  gas  for  local  use  was  found. 

Well  No.  6  was  put  down  for  Albert  Troy  on  a  hill  only  a  short 
distance  east  of  well  No.  1.  A  good  pressure  of  gas  was  struck  at  a 
depth  of  312  feet.  Inasmuch  as  the  first  well  furnished  abundance  of 
gas,  No.  6  was  cased  and  plugged. 

Up  to  this  time  the  gas  wells  were  confined  to  section  1  of  Derry 
township  and  section  6  of  Pittsfield.  During  the  year  1905  well  No. 
7  was  drilled  for  Mr.  John  Reed,  in  the  southwest  quarter  of  the 
northwest  quarter  of  section  7  of  Pittsfield  township.  Abundance  of 
gas  for  use  in  the  home  was  found  at  a  depth  of  150  feet. 

Well  No.  8  was  put  down  a  short  distance  southeast  of  No.  7,  on 
the  farm  of  Mary  McSorley.  This  ranks  among  the  strongest  wells 
in  the  county.  It  is  also  one  of  the  shallowest,  being  only  76  feet  in 
depth.  This  was  on  low  land  near  a  branch  of  Kiser  creek,  which  ac- 
counts for  the  shallow  depth. 

Number  9  is  located  about  one  mile  southwest  of  the  last,  on  bot- 
tom land  owned  by  Jesse  Irick.  It  was  drilled  near  the  middle  of  the 
south  half  of  section  12,  Derry  township.  An  abundance  of  gas  for 
local  use  was  found  at  a  depth  of  115  feet.  The  log  of  this  well  was 
furnished  by  the  driller,  Mr.  George  Mink,  as  follows : 

Feet. 

1  Gray  silt 3 

2  Yellow  clay 12 

3  Blue  soapstone -20 

4  Brown  soapstone 10 

5  Brown  shale 60 

6  Limestone 4 

7  Cave  in  limestone  filled  with  gas  causing  a  gusher 6 

Nos.  1  and  2  above  belong  to  the  Pleistocene  deposits.  Nos.  3  to  5 
inclusive  represent  the  Kinderhook  shales ;  limestones  6  and  7  prob- 


84  THE   PETROLEUM    INDUSTRY   OF   EASTERN   ILLINOIS.         [bull.  2 

ably  are  the  Niagara,  as  tlie  Devonian  strata  do  not  appear  in  Pike 
county.  In  one  other  well  a  cavity  four  feet  in  depth  was  reported, 
but  such  caverns  are  not  generally  found. 

Well  No.  10  was  put  down  for  I.  N.  Winans,  near  the  middle  of 
section  10,  Pittsfield  township.  The  depth  was  242  feet.  There  is  a 
strong  pressure  of  gas  which  is  utilized  on  the  premises. 

No.  11  is  located  near  the  middle  of  the  west  half  of  section  12  of 
Derry,  about  one-half  mile  southwest  of  well  No.  9.  This  is  on  the 
farm  of  Clel.  Harshman.  The  well  is  155  feet  in  depth  and  furnishes 
an  abundance  of  gas  for  the  home. 

Well  No.  12  was  drilled  about  one  mile  north  of  No.  2,  on  land  be- 
longing to  Jacob  Irick.  The  following  record  of  the  well  was  fur- 
nished by  the  driller,  Mr.  Mink: 

Feet. 

1  Soil 3 

2  Yellow  clay 14 

3  Gravel 8 

4  Sand  contain  ing  water 23 

5  Dark  soapstone 4 

6  Coal 1 

7  Gray  fire  clay 6 

8  Flint  and  clay 48 

9  Blue  limestone, ; . .  8 

10  White  limestone 41 

11  Blue  soapstone 103 

12  Brown  shale 52 

13  Light  gray  shale 7 

14  Whitish  limestone 27 

15  Gas  rock,  (yellowish-brown  limestone) 27 

Total  depth 372 

In  this  section  Nos.  1  to  4  are  surface  materials;  8,  9  and  10  represent 
the  Burlington  limestone;  11,  12  and  13  are  Kinderhook  shale;  and 
14  and  15  are  Niagara  limestone. 

Number  13  is  a  dry  well  on  the  farm  of  Noah  Harshman,  near  the 
middle  of  the  north  half  of  section  6,  Pittsfield  township.  Work  was 
discontinued  at  a  depth  of  690  feet. 

Well  No.  14  was  put  down  during  the  early  part  of  1906  on  land  of 
John  McSorley.  It  is  one  mile  south  of  No.  13.  A  good  supply  of 
gas  was  found  at  a  depth  of  185  feet. 

Number  15  is  on  the  farm  of  Mrs.  Maggie  O'Connell,  near  the  mid- 
dle of  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  7,  Pittsfield  township.  Gas 
was  struck  at  164  feet. 

Well  No.  16  is  a  short  distance  north  and  across  the  wagon  road 
from  No.  14,  on  land  of  Thomas  Austin.  The  well  is  219  feet  deep. 
It  furnishes  sufficient  gas  for  use  on  this  farm,  but  the  well  is  not  so 
strong  as  the  average. 

Number  17  supplies  abundance  of  gas  to  the  premises  of  F.  P. 
Wackerman  and  W.  S.  Lloyd.  It  was  drilled  on  land  of  the  former 
near  the  southeast  corner  of  section  18  of  Pittsfield  township.  The 
depth  is  273. 

Well  No.  18  is  on  the  farm  of  Mary  J.  Smith,  near  the  northwest 
corner  of  section  20,  a  short  distance  southeast  of  No.  17.  An  ample 
supply  of  gas  was  struck  at  a  depth  of  231  feet.  Mr.  Mink  furnished 
a  log  of  this  well  as  follows: 


SAVAGE.]  PIKE   COUNTY   GAS    WELLS.  85 

Feet. 

1  Soil 3 

2  Brown  clay 12 

3  Blue  clay 1 

4  Sand  and  clay 8 

5  Sand  and  gravel,  with  water 14 

6  Flint  and  sand  rock  mixed 7 

7  Blue  soapstone 102 

8  Brown  shale 58 

9  Limestone 14 

10  Gas  rock  (brown  magnesian  limestone) ;i--M;i-ri.,-:i,„^A^ 

Of  the  above  numbers  1  to  6  inclusive,  belong  to  the  Pleistocene;  6 
probably  represents  the  residual  materials  of  the  Burlington  lime- 
stone mingled  with  sand  of  the  Kinderhook;  7  and  8  are  Kinderhook 
beds;  9  and  10  represent  the  Niagara  limestone. 

Number  19  is  considered  one  of  the  strongest  gas  wells  in  the  field. 
It  is  167  feet  in  depth,  and  is  located  near  the  southeast  corner 
of  section  16,  Pittsfield  township,  on  land  owned  by  Mrs.  J.  H.  Helm. 

Number  20  is  a  dry  well  put  down  in  the  northwest  quarter  of  the 
northeast  quarter  of  section  9  of  Pittsfield,  on  the  farm  of  Benjamin 
West.     The  depth  is  501  feet. 

Well  Number  21  is  near  the  middle  of  the  south  half  of  section  8, 
at  the  home  of  Capt.  Davis.  Gas  was  struck  at  276  feet.  The  pres- 
sure is  below  the  average,  but  supply  is  sufficient  for  farm  use. 

Number  22  is  a  good  well,  less  than  one- half  mile  southwest  of 
Number  19.  It  is  on  the  farm  of  John  Dorcey,  in  the  notthwest 
quarter  of  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  21.  Gas  was  struck  A^^ril 
9, 1906,  at  a  depth  of  185  feet. 

Number  23  was  drilled  for  Messrs.  Higgins  and  Strauss,  in  the 
southwest  quarter  of  the  southwest  quarter  of  section  17  of  Pittsfield. 
An  abundance  of  gas  was  found  at  251  feet.  The  well  was  completed 
April  19, 1906. 

Number  24  is  on  the  farm  of  Joseph  Haney,  across  the  road,  east 
of  the  Davis  well.  The  driller,  G.  M.  Mink,  reports  that  the  gas  rock 
in  Number  14  was  found  at  an  elevation  fifty  feet  lower  than  in  the 
Davis  well,  which  is  located  600  feet  further  west.  This  would  indi- 
cate an  eastward  dip  of  the  strata  of  fifty  feet  in  a  distance  of  200 
yards.  The  drilling  was  discontinued  at  a  depth  of  313  feet.  No 
gas  was  found. 

Number  25  is  a  strong  well  on  land  of  Michael  Nash,  one-fourth  of 
a  mile  east  of  the  center  of  section  7.  Gas  was  struck  on  April  26th, 
at  a  depth  of  123  feet. 

Well  number  26  is  3^3  feet  deep.  It  is  on  the  farm  of  Charles  L. 
Wilsey  two  and  one- half  miles  west  of  Pittsfield  and  about  one-fourth 
mile  east  of  the  southwest  corner  section  22.  A  strong  pressure  of 
gas  was  found  on  May  7th.  Following  is  a  section  of  the  well  fur- 
nished by  the  owner,  Mr.  Wilsey: 

Feet. 

1  Soil 1 

2  Yellow  clay 17 

3  Gravel  and  clay 1 

4  Sand  and  clay,  with  water ,36 

5  Joint  clay 27 

6  Black  slate 10 

7  Gray  shale 6 

8  Flint  rock  and  gray  shale 12 

9  Flint  rock  and  blue  clay 15 

10  Blue  sand  rock 3 

11  Blue  soapstone 100 


86  THE   PETEOLEUM    INDUSTEY   OF   EASTEEN    ILLINOIS.         [bull.  2 

12  Brown  shale 57 

13  Blue  soapstone 5 

14  Limestone 25 

15  Gas  rock 18 

Numbers  1  to  5  inclusive  probably  represent  deposits  of  the  Pleis- 
tocene; 6  and  7  are  the  Coal  Measures;  8  and  9  are  remnants  of  the 
Burlington  limestone;  10  to  IB  inclusive  are  Kinderhook  beds;  and 
14  and  15  belong  to  the  Niagara. 

Well  number  27  ranks  among  the  best.  It  is  on  the  farm  of  W.  R. 
Wills,  in  the  southeast  quarter  of  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  20, 
in  Pittsfield  township.  Gas  was  struck  on  May  15th  at  a  depth  of 
220  feet.     Mr.  Wills  furnished  the  following  approximate  section  of 

the  well: 

Feet. 

1  Clay 23 

2  Blue  soapstone 90 

3  Brown  soapstone 13 

4  Brown  shale 65 

5  Limestone  (cap  rock) 14 

6  Gas  rock  (brown  limestone) 14 

Number  28  is  a  good  well.  It  is  located  about  three-fourths  of  a 
mile  southeast  of  Number  27,  on  the  farm  of  A.  V.  Wills.  It  was 
completed  on  May  14th  at  a  depth  of  293  feet. 

Number  29  was  put  down  in  the  city  of  Pittsfield  for  C.  H.  Doss 
and  Co,  The  depth  was  352  feet.  No  gas  was  found.  The  record  of 
the  well  kept  by  the  driller,  Mr.  Clark,  is  given  below: 

Feet.  Inches 

1  Soil 2 

2  Clay 41 

3  Sand  and  gravel 13 

4  Rotten  limestone 19  6 

5  Fireclay 2  6 

6  White  limestone 34 

7  Light  soapstone 76 

8  Dark  slate 8 

9  Soapstone 21 

10  Brown  shale 58 

11  Soapstone 10 

12  Hard  limestone 14 

13  Soft  limestone 2 

14  Hard  limestone 14 

15  Gas  rock  (full  of  water) 27 

16  Hard  limestone 2 

17  Light  soapstone 8            6 

In  the  above,  numbers  1,  2  and  3  belong  to  the  Pleistocene;  4,  5  and 
6  probably  represent  the  Burlington  limestone,  much  softened  and 
decayed  in  the  upper  part;  7  to  11  inclusive  are  members  of  the  Kind- 
erhook, and  12  to  16  inclusive  are  Niagara  limestones.  The  soap- 
stone  or  shale,  number  17,  probably  represents  the  Maquoketa  or 
Cincinnati  shale.  Professor  Worthen  reports  a  thickness  of  but  a 
little  more  than  fifty  feet  for  the  Niagara  further  southward  in  Cal- 
houn county. 

The  cap  rock  or  limestone  immediately  overlying  the  gas  rock,  is 
usually  eighteen  to  thirty  feet  in  thickness,  and  Mr.  G.  M.  Mink  re- 
ports that  in  the  two  wells  in  which  the  drill  penetrated  the  entire 
depth  of  the  gas  rock  its  thickness  was  respectively  thirty- seven  and 
twenty-eight  feet.  This  would  indicate  a  thickness  of  about  sixty 
feet  for  the  Niagara  at  those  points. 

Worthen,  A.  H.;  Geol.  Surv.  of  111.  Vol.  4,  p.  7. 


SAVAGE.]  PIKE   COUNTY    GAS    WELLS.  87 

The  city  of  Pittsfield  is  in  a  valley  above  which  the  uplands  rise 
on  the  west  more  than  125  feet.  The  surface  where  the  Pittsfield 
well,  No.  29,  was  drilled  is  more  than  100  feet  lower  than  the  curb 
of  Mr.  Chas.  L.  Wilsey's  well,  two  and  one-half  miles  due  west  of 
Pittsfield.  From  a  comparison  of  the  sections  of  these  two  wells  it 
will  be  seen  that  the  top  of  the  Niagara  limestone  was  reached  in  the 
Pittsfield  well  only  five  and  one- half  feet  nearer  the  surface  than  in 
the  well  of  Mr.  Wilsey.  This  would  indicate  an  eastward  dipping  of 
the  strata  between  these  points  of  at  least  100  feet.  This  fact,  to- 
gether with  the  dip  of  the  beds  between  the  Davis  and  the  Haney 
wells  above  described,  would  determine  the  eastern  slope  of  the  anti- 
cline, the  west  side  of  which  is  in  part  seen  in  the  dipping  of  the 
beds  down  the  channel  of  Dutch  creek. 

Number  30  was  the  last  well  put  down  for  gas  in  this  area  to  June 
9,  ]  906.  It  is  on  the  farm  of  Mr.  Eiley  Wilsey,  in  the  southeast  half 
of  the  northeast  ^  of  section  27  of  Pittsfield  township.  At  the  time 
of  the  writer's  visit  on  June  6th  the  drill  was  down  200  feet.  It  has 
since  been  reported  that  gas  was  struck  on  June  7th,  but  complete 
data  on  the  well  was  not  obtained. 

On  June  7th  the  drilling  was  begun  on  a  second  well  in  the  city  of 
Pittsfield,  in  the  hope  of  obtaining  a  supply  of  gas  for  the  town. 

The  drillers  report  the  succession  of  strata  penetrated  in  the  differ- 
ent wells  as  quite  constant  and  the  thickness  of  the  respective  beds 
as  fairly  uniform  over  this  field. 

Outlook  for  the  Pike  County  Field — The  pressure  of  gas  in  the 
wells  of  this  district  is  not  sufiiciently  strong  to  warrant  the  expecta- 
tion of  any  great  development  of  the  field  in  a  commercial  way. 
However,  the  supply  from  an  average  drilling  is  ample  for  use  in  one 
or  two,  or  even  a  number,  of  the  farm  houses  adjacent  to  the  well. 
An  abundant  and  constant  source  of  excellent  light  and  fuel,  with  no 
expense  after  the  small  outlay  of  putting  down  a  well,  is  a  very  for- 
tunate and  happy  circumstance  to  the  farmers  in  this  field.  The  fact 
that  well  number  1  has  furnished  gas  for  more  than  eighteen  years 
with  no  signs  of  weakening  lends  assurance  as  to  the  durable  nature 
of  the  supply  when  utilized  in  this  way. 

There  seems  no  reason  why  other  wells  should  not  be  put  down 
further  to  the  northwest  and  to  the  southeast  of  the  producing  area 
with  a  good  expectation  of  finding  gas. 

It  seems  probable  that,  in  case  gas  is  not  found  in  wells  at  Pitts- 
field, an  abundant  supply  could  be  obtained  by  putting  down  a  few 
wells  in  the  productive  area  a  short  distance  west  of  town,  connecting 
them  with  pipes,  and  pumping  the  gas  into  the  city  under  pressure. 

Some  years  ago  gas  is  reported  to  have  been  found  in  a  water  well 
on  the  farm  of  Captain  B  B.  Hopkins,  in  Griggsville  township. 
There  is  a  possibility  that  a  parallel  anticline  may  lie  to  the  east  of 
the  known  gas  bearing  arch  and  that  another  gas  field  may  be  found 
to  the  east  of  Pittsfield.  This  can  be  determined  only  by  the  putting 
down  of  a  few  wells  over  that  area.  Since,  as  is  well  known,  gas  and 
oil  are  frequently  and  closely  associated,  the  presence  of  the  gas  here 
gives  strong  probability  of  the  finding  of  petroleum. 


B8  THE    PETROLEUM    INDUSTRY    OF    EASTERN    ILLINOIS.  [BULL.  2 

PKODUCTION   OF  PETROLEUM   IN   SOUTHEASTERN 

ILLINOIS. 

The  raising  of  petroleum  from  the  porous  stratum  or  reservoir  in 
the  depths  of  the  rocks,  where  it  has  lain  for  thousands  of  years,  to 
storage  tanks  upon  the  surface  of  the  earth,  where  it  can  be  utilized 
by  man,  is  termed  the  Production. 

The  evolution  of  the  processes  involved  in  the  present  advanced 
methods  of  production  from  the  primitive  ones  used  by  the  first  oil 
producers  in  the  United  States  has  been  a  wonderful  one,  and  would 
prove  a  story  of  surpassing  interest  to  the  practical  operator  of  today. 

The  different  steps  necessary  to  the  successful  development  of  a 
good  oil  property  are  many,  and  the  tyro  who  enters  the  held  against 
operators  who  had  spent  a  lifetime  in  mastering  the  details  of  pro- 
ducing oil  at  a  minimum  cost  often  finds  himself  handicapped  before 
he  has  completed  his  first  well. 

Choosing  a  locality  for  operating — The  first  step  necessary  in  the 
production  of  oil  is  the  choosing  of  the  locality  in  which  the  opera- 
tions will  be  carried  on.  In  this  step  it  will  be  found  that  the  old 
operator,  who  has  watched  the  growth  of  a  field  from  the  beginning, 
is  usually  v\^ise  enough  to  locate  his  future  wells  within  the  limits  of 
the  known  productive  territory,  provided  he  can  procure  the  neces- 
sary leases.  The  beginner  more  often  betakes  himself  to  "promising" 
territory  just  outside  the  limits  and  puts  down  a  "wild-cat"  bore. 
Any  one  who  makes  a  special  study  of  the  oil  business  will  soon  note 
that  the  Standard  Oil  Company  and  other  large  operators  do  little 
"wild-catting,"  but  profit  by  the  experience  of  the  small  operators 
who  do  it,  "'Wild- catting"  must,  however,  be  done  by  somebody,  as 
there  is  no  known  method  of  fixing  the  limits  of  a  field  except  by  test 
bores  put  down  by  speculative  individuals. 

Usual  terms  of  a,  lease — After  deciding  on  a  piece  of  territory  it 
must  either  be  bought  outright  or  leased  from  the  owner  for  a  term 
of  years.  In  most  cases  it  is  leased,  usually  for  a  period  of  five  years 
or  as  much  longer  as  production  continues.  If  the  adjoining  territory 
is  untested,  the  farmer  usually  receives  from  one-eighth  to  one-sixth 
royalty  on  the  future  production,  with  a  stipulation  that  drilling  is  to 
"begin  within  one  or  two  years,  or  that  a  stated  rental  per  acre  shall 
be  paid  until  the  first  well  is  drilled.  The  landowner  retains  all  rights 
over  the  surface  of  the  land  with  the  exception  of  the  portion  neces- 
sarily occupied  by  the  derricks,  power  houses  and  storage  tanks.  Of 
a  farm  of  80  acres  not  more  than  five  need  necessarily  be  kept  from 
cultivation,  even  though  it  contain,  in  time,  its  full  quota  of  wells. 
If  a  good  well  has  been  put  down  on  adjoining  territory,  the  farmer 
in  the  Illinois  field  often  receives  a  bonus  of  from  $30  to  $100  an 
acre,  or  even  more,  in  addition  to  the  royalty  and  rental.  In  many 
instances  the  supposed  rich  strike  in  time  proves  of  little  value.  The 
lease  expires  without  being  drilled  and  the  farmer  is  ahead  a  sum 
equal  to  the  bonus  advanced. 

If,  on  the  area  leased,  some  good  wells  are  developed,  the  lease, 
like  the  franchise  of  a  street  railway,  becomes  the  most  valuable  part 


BLATCHLEY.]  OIL     LEASES.  89 

of  the  so-called  "oil-property";  and  with  the  wells  already  in  opera- 
tion is  often  sold  for  large  amounts.  Even  though  no  wells  are  drilled 
on  a  leased  farm,  the  lease  often  changes  ownership  a  number  of  times 
before  it  expires.  The  following  is  a  form  of  lease  in  common  use  in 
the  Illinois  field: 

This  Agkeement,  Made  this day  of A.   D.   190 . . 

WITNESSETH,    That 

Lessors 

In  consideration  of  One  dollar  in  hand  duly  paid  by  John  Doe,  of  Lima,  O. , 
lessee,  do  hereby  g-rant,  demise,  and  let  unto  the  lessee  all  the  oil  and  gas  in 
and  under  the  following-  described  tract  of  land;  also  the  said  tract  of  land 
for  the  purpose  of  operating  thereon  for  said  oil  and  g-as  with  the  right  to 
use  water,  oil  and  gas  therefrom,  except  water  from  wells  now  on  said 
premises  and  all  rights  convenient  for  such  operations;  also  the  right  at  any 
time   to  remove  a  part  or  all  of  the  property,  machinerj'^  or  fixtures  placed 

thereon  by  lessee.     Said  land  being  situated  in  the of 

County  of State  of described  as  follows: 


Containing acres    more     or    less    hereby    releasing  and    waiving    all 

rights  under  and  by  virtue  of  the  homestead  exemption  laws  of  this  State. 
To  have  and  to  hold  unto  the  lessee  for  the  term  of  five  years  from  the  date 
hereof,  and  as  much  longer  thereafter  as  oil  and  gas  are  found  in  paying 
quantities  thereon.  The  lessee  shall  deliver  into  tanks  or  pipe  lines  to  the 
lessor's  credit,  the  one  eighth  part  of  all  the  oil  produced,  and  saved  from  the 
premises;  and  shall  pay  at  the  rate  of  One  hundred  dollars  per  year  for  each 
gas  well  during  the  time  gas  is  sold  or  marketed  therefrom. 

The  lessors  may  have  gas  free  of  cost  from  any  gas  well  on  said  premises 
for  use  in  the  dwelling  house  thereon  at  their  own  risk  so  long  as  the  lessee 
continues  to  operate  such  well,  the  lessors  making  connections  for  gas  at  such 
point  or  place  as  may  be  designated  by  the  lessee. 

No  wells  are  to  be  drilled  within  two  hundred  feet  of  the  dwelling  house 
now  on  the  premises  without  the  lessors  consent;  whenever  the  lessors  shall 
request  it  the  lessee  shall  bury  all  oil  and  gas  lines  which  are  laid  over  till- 
able ground  and  shall  pay  all  damage  to  growing  crops  caused  by  burying  or 
removing  said  pipe  lines. 

It  is  provided,  that  this  lease  shall  become  null  and  void  if  a  well  is  not 
completed  on  the  premises  within  two  years  from  the  date  hereof,  unavoidable 
delay  excepted,  unless  the  lessees  thereafter  pay  at  the  rate  of  25  cents  per 
acre  per  year  (payable  quarterly)  until  a  well  is  completed,  which  payments 
maybe  made  direct  to  the  lessor,  .or  deposited  to  their  credit  in  the 

All  the  provisions  hereof  shall  extend  to  the  heirs,  successors,  and  assigns  of 
the  respective  parties  hereunto,  upon  the  payment  of  One  dollar,  at  any  time, 
by  the  lessee  his  successors  or  assigns,  to  the  lessors  their  heirs  or  assigns; 
said  lessees  his  successors  or  assigns  shall  have  the  right  to  surrender  this 
lease  for  cancellation;  after  which  all  payments  and  liabilities  thereafter  to 
accrue  under  and  by  virtue  of  its  terms  shall  cease  and  determine,  and  this 
lease  becomes  absolutely  null  and  void. 

Witness  the  following  signatures  and  seals: 

Witness. — 

(seal) 

(seal) 

(seal) 

(seal) 


90  THE    PETKOLEUM    INDUSTRY   OF   EASTEEN    ILLINOIS.         [bull.  2 

State  of  Illinois.  ) 

County    of )    * 

J, in  and  for  said 

County  in  the  State  aforesaid,  do  hereby  certify  that 

personally  known  to  me  to  be  the  same  person.  .  .  .whose  name 

subscribed  to  the  f oreg-oing-  instrument,  appeared  before  me  this  day  in  person, 
and  acknowledged  that  .  .  .he.  .  .  signed,  sealed  and  delivered  the  said  instru- 
ment as .  free  and  voluntary  act,  for  the  uses  and  purposes  therein 

set  forth,  including  the  release  and  the  waiver  of  the  right  of  homestead. 

Given  under  my  hand Seal,  this day 

of A.  D.   190.  . 


Locating  the  wells — Aster  securing  a  lease,  the  operator  must 
choose  the  site  for  his  first  well.  It  is  usually  the  custom  to  drill  at 
some  point  about  200  feet  from  the  property  line  in  order  to  first 
obtain  the  oil  which  might  otherwise  be  raised  by  operators  of  adjoin- 
ing leases.  Various  circumstances,  such  as  the  dip  of  the  oil  bearing 
rock,  variations  in  the  surface  level  of  the  tract  leased,  the  location 
of  a  permanent  power  house,  etc.,  are  to  be  considered  in  determining 
the  site  of  the  well.  If  wells  are  down  on  adjoining  leases,  the  pro- 
duction of  the  first  well,  as  compared  with  that  of  the  older  ones,  can 
be  used  to  gauge  the  location  of  future  bores.  If  a  well  holds  up  to 
10  or  15  barrels  a  day  for  three  months  or  more  the  chances  are  that 
it  is  close  to  or  connected  with  a  large  area  of  porous  rock,  and  that 
better  wells  may  be  located  somewhere  in  the  immediate  vicinity. 
The  wells  are  usually  put  down  400  to  600  feet  apart ;  that  distance, 
in  the  language  of  the  oil  field,  being  termed  a  "location." 

An  unwritten  law  exists  among  operators  that  the  lessee  of  a  tract 
of  land  shall  immediately  put  down  wells  when  producing  wells  are 
drilled  on  adjoining  territories.  This  is  done  to  offset  and  protect 
property  lines  and  prevent  the  oil  underlying  one  tract  from  being 
drained  off  through  another. 

As  to  the  amount  of  acreage  to  be  assigned  to  an  oil  well,  opinion 
varies  greatly.  On  the  larger  leases  ten  acres  are  often  given  to  the 
well.  On  the  smaller  leases  one  to  every  five  acres  is  often  drilled. 
One  common  and  very  good  method  of  locating  the  wells  on  an  80 
acre  lease  is  to  have  them  200  feet  back  from  the  outside  line  and  460 
feet  apart.  This  leaves  a  distance  of  920  feet  clear  in  the  center,  on 
which  the  power  house  can  be  erected.  By  this  method  14  wells 
can  be  placed  on  each  80  acre  tract,  and  have  the  center  to  draw  on. 

Drilling  rig — Having  selected  a  site  for  his  first  well,  the  operator 
next  contracts  for  the  drilling.  If  this  be  done  with  a  drilling  ma- 
chine, as  is  the  custom  in  the  shallow  territory  of  the  Casey  field,  he 
does  not  have  to  build  a  rig  and  the  process  is  much  simplified.  In 
that  field  the  machines  in  use  are  principally  the  "Star"  and  a 
Parkersburg,  W.  Va.  machine.  The,  entire  drilling  outfit,  machine, 
engine,  boiler  and  tools,  costs  about  $2,200.  A  number  of  contracting 
drillers,  some  of  them  owning  a  half  dozen  or  more  outfits,  soon  flock 
to  a  new  field  which  promises  much  work.     Oftentimes  the  operators 


ILLINOIS  GEOGOGICAL  SURVEY. 


Bull.  No.  2.,  PL  5. 


A.    STANDARD  DRILLING  RIG. 


B.     DRILLING  MACHINE  USED  IN  NORTHERN  PART  OF  THE  FIELD. 


BLATCHLEY. 


DRILLING    RIGS.  91 


own  their  own  machines  and  do  their  own  drilling.  The  price  for 
drilling  in  the  Casey  field  in  May,  1906,  was  $1.00  per  foot.  The 
operator  furnishes  all  drive  pipe,  casing,  tubing,  etc.  The  contractor 
pulls  and  resets  the  casing  for  shooting,  cleans  out  the  well  and  puts 
in  tubing  and  rods  for  pumping.  If  his  fuel  and  water  is  furnished, 
he  received  but  90  cents  per  foot.  If  a  standard  rig  is  used  in  dril- 
ling, as  is  the  custom  in  the  deeper  territory  of  the  Crawford  county 
field,  the  operator  must  first  contract  for  it  and  have  it  erected  before 
the  drilling  begins.  This  rig  consists  of  four  strong  uprights  held  in 
position  by  ties  and  braces  and  resting  on  strong  wooden  sills,  which 
are  preferred  as  a  foundation  to  masonry.  The  derrick  is  used  as  a 
support  for  the  sheave  called  the  crown  pulley,  which  must  rest  at  a 
sufiicient  height  to  swing  the  heavy  drilling  tools  free  from  the 
ground.  The  average  height  of  the  derrick  is  72  feet,  and  it  forms 
the  most  conspicuous  object  which  characterizes  an  oil  field. 

With  the  derrick  are  included  under  the  term  "rig"  all  the  wood- 
work and  its  necessary  iron  fittings  so  put  together  that  when  boiler 
and  engine  are  in  place  drilling  can  at  once  begin.  The  bull  wheel 
and  shaft  on  which  the  cable  supporting  the  drilling  tools  is  wound; 
the  walking  beam  to  give  vertical  motion  to  the  tools,  and  the  band 
wheels  for  transmitting  power  from  the  engines  to  the  movable  parts 
are,  next  to  the  derrick,  the  most  important  parts  of  the  rig. 

The  construction  of  the  rig  is  usually  undertaken  by  a  contractor 
known  as  a  "rig  builder",  for  a  certain  specified  sum.  In  the  Craw- 
ford county  field  in  1906  the  price  paid  for  the  rig  complete  was  $525. 
After  the  well  is  completed  the  rig  is,  in  most  cases,  left  standing, 
though  small  operators  often  take  it  down  and  use  it  for  another  well. 
A  considerable  saving  of  outlay  for  lumber  and  rig  irons  is  thus  ef- 
fected, but  if  the  well  stops  flowing  or  needs  cleaning  out,  a  new  rig, 
usually  smaller  and  less  expensive,  must  be  built. 

Drilling  the  well — The  drilling  crew  consists  of  four  men,  two 
drillers  and  two  tool  dressers,  who  work  in  pairs,  12  hours  each.  It 
is  the  duty  of  the  driller  to  stay  close  to  the  mouth  of  the  bore  and 
attend  to  the  drilling  proper,  turning  the  cable  and  the  temper  screw 
when  necessary  and  controlling  the  machinery  by  cords  and  lever 
when  changing  the  tools  and  sand  pumping.  The  tool  dresser  is  the 
helper  to  each  driller.  He  fires  the  boiler,  attends  to  the  engine  and 
machinery  and  dresses  or  sharpens  the  bits  as  each  in  turn  becomes 
worn. 

The  wages  paid  to  drillers  in  the  Illinois  field  in  1906  were  $5.00 
and  the  tool  dressers  $4.00  each  per  day.  The  contractor  is  respons- 
ible for  accidents  and  failure  to  complete  a  well.  The  time  necessary 
to  put  down  a  bore  in  the  Casey  field  was  four  to  five  days.  The 
shooting,  tubing  and  connecting  with  power  requires  about  two  days 
longer.  The  operator  connects  the  well  with  the  power  as  soon  as  it 
is  tubed  by  the  driller.  In  the  Crawford  county  field  from  12  to  14 
days  are  required  for  drilling. 

Shooting  the  Well. — As  soon  as  the  porous  stratum  is  passed 
through,  if  there  is  a  fair  showing  of  oil  the  well  is  torpedoed  or  "shot" 
in  order  to  open  up  fissures  in  the  porous  rock  and  form  a  cavity 


92  THE   PETROLEUM    INDUSTRY   OF    EASTERN    ILLINOIS.         [bull.  2 

therein  into  which  the  oil  may  flow.  In  the  Illinois  field  it  is  now 
the  custom  to  drill  to  the  bottom  of  the  oil  bearing  rock,  and  then,  if 
possible,  gauge  the  shooting  so  that  the  rock  will  be  shattered  from 
the  bottom  of  the  drill  hole  to  the  top  of,  but  not  far  above,  the  porous 
stratum.  This  prevents  the  explosion  affecting  the  shale  or  other  for- 
mation overlying  the  oil  bearing  stratum  and  so  filling  up  the  cavity 
with  loose  debris  and  rendering  the  well  worthless.  Nitro-glycerine 
is  the  explosive  used,  and  the  amount  depends  largely  upon  the  texture 
of  the  porous  rock  or  so-called  "sand."  If  it  is  hard  and  close  pored, 
more  explosive  is  necessary  than  where  coarse  and  friable.  In  the 
latter  case  a  large  shot  shatters  too  great  a  quantity  and  causes  too 
much  trouble  in  cleaning  out  after  the  shooting.  An  average  shot  in 
the  Casey  field  is  85  quarts,  though  some  operators  persist  in  drilling- 
deep  and  using  120  to  150  quarts  in  all  wells.  "The  bigger  the  shot 
the  better  the  well"  is  the  motto  of  some  of  the  operators  in  the  Sig- 
gins  pool. 

The  shooting  is  done  by  a  contractor  who  follows  it  as  a  vocation. 
He  is  usually  an  agent  of  the  company  who  manufactures  the  explo- 
sive, and  often  works  on  the  percentage  system,  receiving  from  the 
company  a  stipulated  sum  per  quart  for  the  explosive  sold. 

The  nitro-glycerine  is  hauled  overland  from  the  factory  in  square 
tin  cans  holding  eight  to  ten  quarts  each,  and  stored  in  quantity  in 
buildings  erected  in  some  out  of  the  way  place  at  various  points  in  the 
oil  field.  When  a  well  is  ready  to  be  shot,  the  agent  who  does  the 
shooting  transports,  in  a  light  buckboard  buggy,  padded  and  fitted  for 
the  purpose,  a  number  of  these  cans  to  the  well.  There  the  glycerine 
is  poured  into  cylindrical  tin  cans,  called  "shells,"  about  five  inches 
in  diameter  and  long  enough  to  hold  20  quarts  of  the  explosive.  The 
average  shell  is  five  feet,  five  inches  in  length.  Each  shell  is  conical 
at  the  lower  end,  and  slightly  concave  at  the  upper.  As  soon  as  the 
first  shell  is  filled,  it  is  lowered  into  the  bore.  When  it  reaches  the 
bottom  the  lowering  line,  by  a  special  device,  becomes  detached  and 
is  drawn  up.  The  second  shell  is  then  filled,  and,  when  lowered  its 
conical  end  fits  into  the  cavity  at  the  top  of  the  first.  In  this  manner, 
each  of  the  shells,  after  being  lowered,  rests  in  close  connection  with 
the  one  preceding.  The  last  or  top  shell  is  fitted  in  a  special  manner 
with  a  waterproof  percussion  cap  so  arranged  that  it  can  be  readily  set 
off  with  an  electric  spark,  communicated  to  it  by  a  wire  which  is  con- 
nected with  a  hand  battery. 

It  is  the  custom  in  the  Illinois  field  to  remove  the  casing  section  by 
section  after  the  nitro-glycerine  has  been  placed  in  the  bore  and  then 
reset  it  as  soon  as  the  shooting  is  over.  The  removal  takes  but  an 
hour  or  two,  and  danger  of  collapsing  or  breaking  the  casing  is  there- 
by obviated. 

When  the  nitro-glycerine  is  exploded,  a  person  100  yards  away  will, 
after  an  interval  of  BO  to  50  seconds,  experience  a  slight  jarring  of  the 
earth,  accompanied  by  a  muffled  report  somewhat  louder  than  a  pistol 
shot.  A  minute  or  so  thereafter  a  roaring  sound  is  heard  and  a  solid 
column  of  oil  and  water  is  seen  issuing  from  the  mouth  of  the  bore. 
This  rises  higher  and  higher  until  it  finally  reaches  far  above  the  der- 
rick and  there  breaks  into  spray.     Klown  up  with  it  are  many  frag- 


BLATCHLEY.]  SALT     WATER.  98 

ments  of  stone  and  the  remains  of  the  tin  canisters,  shattered  into  a 
thousand  particles.  Pieces  of  porous  rock  blown  up  from  a  depth  of 
a  thousand  feet  often  weigh  six  to  eight  pounds. 

The  flow  of  oil  resulting  from  the  explosion  usually  soon  subsides 
and,  as  soon  as  possible  after  resetting  the  casing,  tubing  two  to  two 
and  a  half  inches  in  diameter  and  reaching  to  the  bottom  of  the  bore, 
is  put  in  and  connected  with  a  tank  which  has  been  erected  near  by. 
These  tanks  are  cylindrical,  are  constructed  of  wooden  staves,  and  are 
usually  gauged  to  hold  250  barrels  each.  In  such  a  tank  each  inch 
in  depth  equals  two  and  a  half  barrels  of  oil;  therefore,  in  oil  field 
vernacular,  a  yield  of  "ten  inches  a  day"  means  twenty-five  barrels. 
The  cost  of  such  tanks  in  the  Casey  field  in  1906  was  $95.00  and  in 
the  Crawford  county  field,  $100.00. 

Pumping  the  oil — After  tubing  the  well  and  connecting  it  with  the 
tank,  the  necessary  pumping  apparatus  must  be  attached.  If  a  num- 
ber of  wells  are  to  be  drilled  a  power  house  is  located  near  the  center  of 
the  lease  and  a  small  gas  or  steam  engine  placed  therein.  Each  well 
is  supplied  with  a  jack  and  balance  weight,  to  which  the  necessary 
pumping  or  sucker  rods  which  ply  up  and  down  inside  the  tubing  are 
attached.  When  a  number  of  wells  are  pumped  by  one  engine  the 
power  is  transmitted  to  the  pumping  jack  of  each  by  means  of  steel 
pull  rods  or  wire  ropes  jprovided  with  suitable  angle  knees  to  change 
the  direction  of  the  pull.  In  the  Casey  field  where  the  surface  is 
level  the  rods  run  about  two  feet  above  the  ground  and  rest  in  notches 
cut  in  the  top  of  short  posts  or  props.  Where  the  surface  is  broken 
or  uneven  the  rods  are  suspended  above  the  ground  by  ropes  attached 
to  poles  or  posts  which  are  set  in  a  row  between  the  power  house  and 
well.  The  engine  in  the  power  house  runs  an  oscillating  pull-wheel 
which  gives  horizontal  movement  to  the  rods  radiating  from  it  to  the 
different  wells.  The  pull-wheel  draws  the  rods  in  one  direction,  and 
on  the  return  the  weight  of  the  sucker  rod,  hanging  from  the  jack, 
draws  them  back.  In  this  way  wells  have  been  pumped  one  mile  from 
the  power  house,  and  often  as  many  as  twenty  wells,  and  sometimes 
as  many  as  forty,  are  pumx3ed  by  a  single  engine.  More  than  twenty- 
five  or  thirty  are,  however,  too  many,  for  if  the  power  should  happen 
to  break  down  all  the  wells  are  stopped.  Again,  a  pumper  (the  man 
in  charge  of  the  engines  and  wells)  cannot  look  after  more  than  that 
number  and  do  it  right.  The  fuel  used  for  pumping  is  usually  gas, 
the  wells  on  the  lease  often  furnishing  enough ;  though  in  many  in- 
stances it  is  piped  in  from  a  distance.  The  material  pumped  is  run 
first  into  a  salt  water  barrel  to  settle  out  the  water.  The  oil  is  drawn 
off  from  this  into  storage  tanks. 

But  little  trouble  is  experienced  with  salt  water  in  the  Casey  field, 
provided  sufficient  care  is  taken  in  drilling  to  stop  before  the  water- 
bearing stratum  is  reached.  In  the  Casey- Westfield  pool,  this  lies 
some  distance  below  the  oil  bearing  limestone;  while  in  the  Siggins 
pool  it  is  usually  just  below  the  eight  to  fifteen  feet  of  black  shale 
which  immediately  underlies  the  productive  sandstone.  On  account 
of  the  scarcity  of  fresh  water  to  operate  the  engines  and  for  use  in 
drilling,  the  salt  water  from  the  producing  rock  is  used  on  a  number 
of  the  leases.     This  is  usually  pumped  in  small  quantity  with  the  oil 


94 


THE    PETROLEUM    INDUSTRY   OF   EASTERN   ILLINOIS. 


[BULL. 


into  a  barrel  tank.  From  this  the  oil  flows  into  the  near  by  storage 
tank,  while  the  water  is  allowed  to  escape  from  the  lower  part  of  the 
barrel  tank,  into  ditches  and  drains,  or  into  pipes  which  lead  to  a 
storage  reservoir. 

Cost  of  producing  well  in  the  Illinois  field — The  average  cost  of 
the  first  well  on  a  lease  in  the  Olark  and  Crawford  county  fields  in 
the  spring  of  1906  was  about  as  follows : 


Clark. 

Crawford. 

$  525 

$400 

1,000 

70 

80 

250 

700 

100 

120 

150 

200 

500 

500 

190 

200 

100 

100 

100 

100 

Rig 

Drilling; 

Drive  pipe 

Casting- 

Shooting 

Tubing  and  pumping  outfit 

Power  house  and  power 

Two  tanks 

Belting  and  lead  lines 

Incidentals 

Totals 


$1, 860 


$3, 525 


The  incidentals  include  the  cost  of  necessary  teaming  and  the  ex- 
penses (livery  hire,  board,  etc.)  of  the  operator  or  field  manager  while 
overseeing  the  work.  The  second  and  succeeding  wells  on  the  lease 
will  each  cost,  in  the  Casey  field,  about  $800  less,  and  in  the  Crawford 
county  field,  $1,400  less,  as  the  rigs,  where  used,  tanks,  power  house 
and  power  can  be  used  for  future  wells,  though  there  will  be  a  loss  of 
of  $125  in  tearing  down  and  rebuilding  the  derrick,  and  the  number 
of  tanks  will  soon  have  to  be  increased.  The  cost  of  the  lead  lines 
and  surface  rods  on  a  lease  will  increase  proportionately  to  the  num- 
ber of  producing  wells. 

After  a  tank  has  been  filled  with  oil  the  latter  must  be  steamed  to 
reduce  the  impurites  of  sediment  to  a  minimum.  This  is  done  by 
connecting  pipes  from  the  engine  with  the  bottom  of  the  tank  and 
forcing  steam  through  the  oil.  From  three  to  four  hours  is  usually 
necessary  to  steam  a  250  barrel  tank.  The  process  of  "production" 
is  then  complete  and  the  oil  is  ready  for  the  market. 

Cost  of  operating  a  lease — The  cost  of  operating  an  oil  lease  in  the 
Illinois  field  after  the  production  has  been  established  need  not  be 
more  than  $100  per  month,  the  salary  of  the  pumper  being  |()0  and 
the  cost  of  fuel  about  $40.  A  dozen  or  even  20  wells  can,  however, 
be  operated  almost  as  cheaply  as  one  after  they  have  been  connected 
with  the  power.  An  extra  pumper  may  have  to  be  employed,  but 
otherwise  no  additional  expense  is  entailed. 

Where  the  plant  has  been  established,  it  will  pay  to  pump  as  low 
as  three  or  four  wells,  even  if  the  yield  is  only  four  barrels  each  per 
day,  provided  the  price  of  oil  is  as  high  as  it  was  on  May  10,  viz.,  81 
cents  per  barrel. 

The  estimate  of  expense  and  income  from  three  four-barrel  wells  or 
four  three-barrel  wells,  after  deducting  the  royalty  of  one-sixth,  is  as 
follows : 


ILLINOIS  GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY. 


Bull.  No.  2,,  PI.  5. 


A.     JACK  USED  IN  PUMPING  OIL 


B.     POWER  STATION  TANKS  AND  PUMPING  RODS. 


BLATCHLEY.J  PIPE    LINES.  95 

Income  per  month— 

300  barrels  of  oil  at  81  cents $243  00 

Salary  of  pumper $60  00 

Cost  of  fuel 40  00 

100  CO 

Net  income $143  00 

With  six  two-barrel  wells  on  the  lease,  the  income  would  be  the  same. 

From  what  has  been  written,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  cost  of  drilling 
and  operating  a  lease  in  the  Casey,  Illinois,  field  is  lower  than  else- 
where in  the  eastern  United  States  for  the  following  reasons:  (a)  The 
wells  are  very  shallow,  the  producing  rock  in  most  instances  being 
struck  at  less  than  400  feet,  (b)  It  is  seldom  that  more  than  100  feet 
of  drive  pipe  and  B20  feet  of  casing  are  necessary,  (c)  On  account  of 
a  comparatively  level  surface  a  large  number  of  wells  can  be  connected 
to  and  pumped  with  one  power,  (d)  Gas  for  fuel  or  for  running  gas 
engines  is  available  in  many  parts  of  the  field,  and  if  not  present, 
coal  is  as  cheap  as  in  any  other  locality,  (e)  Transportation  facilities 
are  good,  a  system  of  pipe  lines  permeating  all  parts  of  the  main 
pools. 

In  the  Crawford  county  field  the  expenses  are  higher,  running  about 
the  same  as  in  the  main  Indiana  Trenton  rock  field. 

Marketing  the  oil — In  the  Casey  field,  where  the  well  is  inside  of 
productive  territory  and  promises  a  fair  output,  but  little  difiiculty  is 
experienced  in  getting  a  pipe  line  of  the  Standard  Oil  Company  of 
Illinois  laid  to  it.  This  company  has  loading  racks  at  Oilfield,  between 
Casey  and  Westfield,  on  the  C.  H.  &  D,  Railway,  and  is  erecting  nine 
35,000  barrel  steel  tanks  one  half  mile  north  of  Casey.  Four  of  these 
were  completed  and  filled  with  oil  on  May  10,  and  the  remaining  five 
were  to  be  finished  as  quickly  as  possible.  From  these  tanks  a  six 
inch  line  extends  to  the  loading  rack  at  Oilfield,  near  the  center  of  the 
Casey- Westfield  pool,  and  a  four  inch  line  to  the  Siggins  pool. 

When  a  tank  is  full  or  nearly  so,  the  pumper  notifies  a  ganger  of 
the  Standard  company,  who  comes  and  measures  its  contents.  A 
'•donkey  pump"  is  then  connected  with  the  tank  and  the  oil  pumped 
therefrom  into  the  pipes  running  to  the  large  storage  tanks ;  about  one 
and  a  half  hours  being  necessary  to  empty  a  field  tank. 

After  deducting  2  per  cent  for  sediment,  leakage,  etc.,  certificates 
are  mailed  to  both  the  producer  and  the  party  owning  the  land,  stating 
the  number  of  barrels  to  their  credit  in  the  lines  of  the  Standard  com- 
pany, together  with  the  market  price  of  the  same.  These  certificates 
can  be  cashed  at  the  various  banks  in  the  oil  field,  or  are  payable  over 
the  counters  of  the  company  at  Casey. 

Output  of  the  Casey  field-^As  the  loading  rack  at  Oilfield  was  not 
erected  until  June,  1905,  the  output  prior  to  that  time  was  stored  in 
tanks.  On  a  number  of  the  smaller  leases,  especially  these  in  areas 
outside  of  the  two  main  producing  pools,  the  field  tanks  have  not  yet 
been  connected  with  the  loading  station  or  large  storage  tanks  and  the 
wells  are  idle  on  that  account.  The  following  table  shows  the  output 
up  to  May  1,  1906: 


96  THE   PETROLEUM    INDUSTRY   OF    EASTERN    ILLINOIS.         [bull.  2 

Crude  Oil  Produced  in  Casey  Fields  Clark  County,   Illinois,  and 
Sold  to  Standard  Oil  Company. 

Month.  Barrels  42  gals. 

June,  1905 , 5,489.46 

July,  1905 9,207.58 

August,  1905 15,092.39 

September,  1905 19,591.52 

October,  1905 26,443.52 

November,  1905 34,765.56 

December,  1905 45,912.49 

Total,  1905 156.502.52 

January, 1906 55,680.09 

Fe  i  ruary,  1906 65, 208  83 

March,  1906 19, 352 .31 

April,  1906 102, 861 .42 

Total  to  May,  1906 243,102.65 

Grand  total 399, 605  17 


The  small  production  in  March  was  due  to  the  bad  weather  inter- 
fering with  the  operations  of  the  railways.  It  was  made  up  by  the 
extra  heavy  deliveries  in  April. 

These  figures  are  published  through  the  courtesy  of  J.  N.  McDonald, 
Auditor,  Manufacturing  Department,  Standard  Oil  Company,  who 
also  advises  that  the  shipments  for  the  first  ten  days  in  May  indicate 
an  average  monthly  production  per  well  of  about  395  barrels. 

In  the  Crawford  county  fields  no  arrangements  for  piping^  or  ship- 
ping the  oil  had  been  made  up  to  May  10.  It  was  said,  however,  that 
a  loading  rack  would  soon  be  installed  at  Stoy,  a  station  on  the  Illi- 
nois Central  Railway,  five  miles  east  of  Robinson. 

Fake  oil  companies. — For  some  reason,  not  well  understood,  the 
promoter  of  the  fake  oil  company  has  not  yet  begun  operations  in  Illi- 
nois. Usually  a  number  of  such  companies  are  organized  when  a  good 
strike  is  made  in  any  region.  Their  available  assets  consist  of  little 
more  than  a  superb  allowance  of  gall,  leases  on  a  few  hundred  acres 
of  supposed  oil  territory  and  a  hundred  or  two  dollars  invested  in 
prospectuses  and  stock  certificates.  Sometimes  even  the  leases  are 
lacking.  The  company  does  not  expect  to  make  money  by  producing 
oil,  but  by  selling  stock,  and  the  number  of  those  who  pay  out  their 
hard  earned  cash  for  a  piece  of  engraved  paper  is  usually  large.  Not 
one  out  of  a  hundred  of  such  stock-selling  companies  ever  pay  back 
even  a  small  percentage  of  the  amount  invested.  Such  companies 
reaped  a  harvest  of  millions  of  dollars  during  the  Beaumont,  Texas, 
oil  excitement  of  1902-'04.  The  highway  robber  who  takes  the  money 
of  his  victim  at  the  point  of  a  gun  is  an  honest  man  in  comparison 
with  some  of  these  barefaced  scoundrels  who  fleece  victims  of  high 
and  low  degree  with  the  glittering  advertising  sheets  and  stock  cer- 
tificates of  their  mushroom  oil  companies. 

The  bona  fide  oil  operator  usually  has  no  stock  to  sell.  If  he  does, 
he  forms  a  company  among  his  chosen  friends  and  induces  them  to 
invest.  The  money  so  invested  is  spent  for  drilling  and  supplies.  It 
may  be  lost,  as  the  venture  often  results  in  dry  holes^  but  it  is  lost 
legitimately  in  an  honest  search  for  oil.  Therefore,  I  would  say  to 
the  reader,  do  not  invest  money  in  the  stock  of  any  oil  company  unless 


BLATCHLEY.]  LEVEL     LINES.  97 

you  are  well  acquainted  with  the  promoters  and  know  them  to  be 
honest  men  who  are  experienced  oil  operators.  However,  if  the 
speculative  tendency  is  too  strong  to  be  withstood,  either  go  into  the 
field  personally,  or  send  someone  in  whom  you  have  implicit  confi- 
dence, and  investigate  the  holdings  of  the  company  whose  stock  you 
are  thinking  of  buying.  By  so  doing  you  will  lessen  the  profits,  as 
well  as  the  number,  of  such  fake  companies  as  we  have  mentioned. 
The  oil  business  is  a  big  enough  gamble  within  itself — that  is,  the 
risks  of  losing  in  the  legitimate  companies  are  great  enough — -without 
taking  a  thousand-to-one  shot  in  the  stock  certificates  of  those  get- 
rich-quick  concerns  whose  members  do  not  know  a  drive  pipe  from  a 
derrick. 

Need  of  accurate  surface  levels. — In  order  to  develop  any  oil  pro- 
ducing area  and  reduce  the  number  of  dry  holes  to  a  minimum,  the 
trend,  width  and  dip  of  the  anticlines  and  synclines  in  the  top  of  the 
oil  producing  stratum  should  be  ascertained  by  an  accurate  determi- 
nation of  the  surface  levels  between  a  number  of  wells.  Where  a 
bore  for  petroleum  has  resulted  in  a  good  producing  well,  the  level  of 
the  surface  of  the  oil  bearing  rock  above  or  below  tide  should  be  care- 
fully ascertained.  This  can  be  done  only  by  running  a  transit  level 
from  the  nearest  point  where  the  surface  is  known,  usually  on  a  rail- 
way to  the  site  of  the  bore.  By  substracting  the  surface  level  of  the 
bore  from  the  depth  at  which  the  oil  bearing  stratum  is  first  struck, 
the  surface  of  the  latter  in  terms  of  sea  level  will  be  obtained,  pro- 
vided it  is  below  tide.  Where  the  oil  bearing  rock  occurs  above  tide, 
the  depth  of  it  will  be  less  than  the  sea  level  elevation  of  the  bore  and 
should  be  subtracted  accordingly. 

The  location  of  the  first  half-dozen  or  so  wells  in  any  area  a  mile  or 
two  square  must  of  necessity  be  a  matter  of  guess  work,  but  if  the 
surface  level  of  the  top  of  the  sand  in  each  bore,  productive  or  dry,  be 
carefully  ascertained,  the  trend  of  the  anticline  and  the  approximate 
limits  of  the  field  or  pool  can  soon  be  determined.  Too  much  guess 
work  is  carried  on  concerning  the  surface  level  of  the  spot  on  which 
the  well  is  located.  In  a  broken  country  it  is  difiicult  for  any  man  to 
guess  approximately  the  relative  levels  of  two  points  a  quarter  of 
a  mile  apart,  and  the  new  level  should  always  be  ascertained  with 
instruments.  The  surface  level  of  the  bore  has  nothing  to  do  with 
the  absolute  height  or  surface  level  of  the  productive  sand,  or  the 
absence  or  presence  of  the  petroleum,  but  it  has  a  great  deal  to  do 
with  the  accurate  determination  of  the  surface  level  of  the  sand,  and 
therefore  with  the  location  of  future  wells.  For  these  reasons  lines 
of  level  have  been  recently  run  through  the  Clarke  county  field  for 
the  Survey  by  Mr.  E.  M.  Scheflow,  assisted  by  Mr.  Loren  Digby. 
Bench  marks,  consisting  of  a  small  brass  tag,  were  put  up  at  frequent 
intervals  and  stamped  with  the  elevation  above  sea  level.  The  loca- 
tion and  elevation  of  these  marks  is  given  in  the  list  below. 


—7  GS 


98 


THE    PETROLEUM    INDUSTRY   OF    EASTERN    ILLINOIS. 


[BULL.    2 


LIST  OF  BENCH  MARKS. 

By  E.  M.  Scheflow. 


From  Charleston  to   Westfield. 


o 

<^  n 
<  -t 
Sa  <! 

o  ^ 

a 


Location, 


654.00 

667.19 

640.08 

691.41 

689.16 
675.64 

648.77 
571.87 
703.94 
716.19 
733.84 
721.53 

640.15 
721.42 

729  72 

747.27 

742.07 
747.56 
746.63 
747.52 
749.37 
733.00 
758.12 

758.28 
7,52.78 
718.56 
721,54 


677 

651 
573 
705 
718 
736 
723 

640 
723 

732 
750 

743 

748 
747 
650 
751 
734 
760 

760 
755 

"723 


(Taken  from  Gannett's 
(Taken  from  Gannett's 


Base  of  rail  front  of  Big  Four  station, Charleston, 111. 

dictionary  of  altitudes.) 
South  end  of  west  step,    Charleston  court  house. 

dictionary.) 

Base  of   corner  stone.    Charleston  theatre.      (Taken  from   Gannett's  dic- 
tionary.) 
Base  of  west  column  of  north  entrance  of  Normal  school.    (Taken  from 

Gannett's  dictionary.) 
Post  near  Sam  Turney's  mail  box,  3^  mile  south  of  Charleston. 
Telephone  post  on  Wrightsville   and   Salsbury  roads,   3^  mile   south  of 

Charleston. 
Telephone  post  in  middle  of  hill  to  river,  north  side. 
Telephone  post  at  north  end  of  Blakeman  bridge. 
Telephone  post  at  top  of  hill  south  of  Blakeman  bridge. 
Telephone  post  on  center  of  west  line  of  N.  E.  qr.  sec.  31,twp.  12  N.,R.  10  E. 
Fence  post  in  front  of  Edmund  Kennel's  house  on  Salsbury  road. 
Northeast  corner  Whetstone  church  in  centqr  of  N.W.  qr.,sec.  32,twp.  12  N., 

R.IOE. 
Stump  near  Edmund  Rennel's  well,  S.  W.  qr.,  sec.  29,  twp.  12  N.,  K .  10  E. 
Fence  post  in  lane  leading  to  Wm.  Rennel's  well  near  center  of  sec.  32, twp. 

12N.,R.10  E. 
Telephone  post  in  center  of  east  line  of  N. 
Fence  post  in  front  of  Johns  school  house, 

12  N., R.IOE. 

Telephone  post  in  center  of  east  line  of  N.  E.  qr.,sec.  33,  twp.  12  N.,  R.  10  E. 
Telephone  post  N.  E.  corner  of  sec.  33, twp.  12  N.,R.10  E. 
Blacksmith  shop  (John  Riggin's)  south  line  of  sec.  27, twp.  12  N.,  R.  10  E. 
Telephone  post  in  S.  E.  corner  sec.  27, twp.  12  N.,R  10  E. 
Telephone  post  in  S.  E.  corner  sec.  26,  twp.  12  N.,R.  lOE. 
Tel  phone  post  in  S.  E.  corner  sec.  25,  twp.  12  N.,  R.  10  E. 
Telephone  post  where  road  on  south  line  of  sec.  30,  twp.  12  N.,  R.  11  E., 

turns  north  about  one  mile  west  of  Westfield. 
Telephone  post  near  west  limits  of  Westfield. 

Telephone  post  in  S.  E.  corner  of  Westfield  college  campus,  Westfield. 
Base  of  rail  on  South  st.  and  C.  H.  &  D,  R.  R.  crossing,  Westfield. 
Telephone  post  on  South  st.  and  C.  H.  &  D.  R.  R.  crossing,  Westfield. 


E.  qr.,sec.  32. twp.  12  N.,  R.  10  E. 
in  center  of  north  ^  sec.  33,  twp. 


From   Westfield  to  Casey. 


682.02 

683.49 

685 

878.41 

680 

694.02 

694 

664.24 

665 

653.26 

655 

647.11 

648 

654.81 

656 

659.02 

660 

651.16 

652 

648.53 

650 

642.91 

644 

642.29 

642 

645.94 

647 

645.64 

654.16 

655 

651 .94 

652 

647.58 

647 

648.11 

650 

651.08 

652 

646.03 

642.15 

642 

648.93 

651 

Base  of  rail  on  trestle  No.  55,  C,  H.  &  D.  R.  R. 

Telephone  post  near  trestle  No.  55,  C.  H.  &  D.  R.  R. 

Telephone  post  near  switch  one  mile  south  of  Westfield. 

Telephone  post  near  S.  E.  corner  of  sec.  32.  Westfield,  opposite  Shuey  well. 

Telephone  post  opposite  Briscoe  tank  on  south  line  of  sec.  32,  Westfield. 

Railroad  sign  post  V4  mile  south  of  Briscoe  tank. 

Telephone  post  %  mile  south  of  Briscoe  tank. 

Telephone  post  one  miie  south  of  Briscoe  tank. 

Telephone  post  opposite  Treat  &  Co.'s  power  house  No.  1. 

Telephone  post  at  crossing  of  railroad  and  south  line  of  sec.  8,  Parker  twp. 

Telephone  post  about  ^  mile  north  of  Oilfield. 

S.  W.  corner  oil  supply  house.  Oilfield. 

Trestle  No.  51.  M  mile  south  of  Oilfield.  . 

Telephone  post  's  mile  south  of  Oilfield. 

Base  of  rail  on  trestle  No.  50,  one  mile  south  of  Oilfield. 

Railroad  sign  post  13=^  miles  south  of  Oilfield. 

Corner  section  house  IH  miles  south  of  Oilfield  at  highway  crossing. 

Trestle  No.  49,  two  miles  south  of  Oilfield. 

Railroad  sign  post  on  highway  crossing  2^/^  miles  south  of  Oilfield. 

Railroad  sign  post  on  highway  crossing  3  miles  south  of  Oilfield. 

Base  of  rail  on  trestle  No.  49 A. 

North  end-beam  on  trestle  No.  48,  3^  miles  south  of  Oilfield. 

Railroad  sign  post  on  highway  crossing  4  miles  south  of  Oilfield. 


SCHEFLOW.] 


BENCH    MARKS. 


99 


From  Westfield  to  Casey — Concluded. 


No. 


c 

M 

II 

%% 
^ni 
^O 

o  o- 

'^^ 

648.87 

651 

644.78 

644 

638.37 

638 

631.90 

631 

636.86 

637 

634.93 

635.11 

638.34 

639 

663.54 

665 

648.38 

650 

651.71 

654 

655.71 

657 

Location. 


Railroad  sign  post  on  highway  crossing  43^  miles  south  of  Oilfield. 

East  guard-beam  on  trestle  No.  47. 

East  guard-beam  on  trestle  No.  46,  one  mile  north  of  Casey. 

East  guard-beam  on  trestle  No.  45,  %  mile  north  of  Casey. 

Railroad  sign  post  at  crossing  of  North  Vasper  street  and  C,  H.  &  D.  R.  R. 

Casey. 
Base  of  rail  at  station  C,  H.&D.R.R.,  Casey. 
Base  of  rail  at  railroad  crossing  Vandalia  and  C.,  H.  &  D.  railroads. 
Door  post  at  Vandalia  depot,  Casey. 

Telephone  post  on  center  of  east  line  of  S.  W.  qr.,  sec.  29,  Parker  twp. 
Telephone  post  N.  E.  corner  of  S.  W.  qr.,  sec.  29,  Parker  twp. 
Telephone  post  opposite  Treat  &  Co.'s  power  house  No.  4. 
Telephone  post  on  center  of  north  line  of  sec.  20.  Parker  twp. 


East  from  C.  H.  &  D.  R.  R.  on  North  Line  of  Casey  Township 

Northwest  of  Casey. 


648.33 

650 

634.95 

637 

629.61 

631 

649.45 

650 

617.20 

619 

632.11 

634 

639.61 

642 

Telephone  post  on  S.  E.  corner  sec.  32.  Westfield. 

Fence  post  on  center  south  line  of  S.  W.  qr.  sec.  33,  Westfield  twp. 

Telephone  post  on  S.  E.  corner  of  sec.  33,  Westfield  twp. 

Fence  post  on  center  of  west  line  of  sec.  34,  Westfield  twp. 

Fence  post  on  center  of  east  line  of  sec.  34,  Westfield  twp. 

Telephone  post  in  center  of  sec.  35.  Westfield  twp. 

Fence  post  at  about  center  of  sec.  36,  Westfield  twp. 


East  from  C.  H.  &  D.  R.  R.  on  South  Line  of  Westfield  Township. 


648.63 

650 

634.32 

636 

637.24 

638 

633  90 

635 

626.07 

628 

616.98 

618 

570.67 

572 

Telephone  post  on  center  of  north  line  of  N.  E.  qr.  sec.  5,  Casey  twp. 
Telephone  post  on  center  of  north  line  of  sec.  4,  Casey  twp 
Fence  post  on  center  of  north  line  of  N.  W.  qr.  of  sec.  3,  Casey  twp. 
Telephone  post  on  N.  E.  corner  of  sec.  3,  Casey  twp. 
Fence  post  near  center  of  north  line  of  sec.  2,  Casey  twp. 
Telephone  post  on  center  of  north  line  of  N.  E.  qr.  sec.  2.  Casey  twp. 
Fence  post  near  center  of  N.  W.  qr.  of  sec.  36,  Parker  twp. 


Northivest  of  Casey. 


636.19 

637 

635.80 

637 

641.12 

643 

636.28 

638 

628.81 

630 

626.18 

628 

616.43 

618 

617.43 

619 

605.46 

607 

590.68 

603.95 

605 

613.53 

615 

606.82 

608 

600.35 

621.70 

623 

620.99 

623 

628.47 

631 

644.04 

645 

Semaphone  on  Vandalia  tracks,  %  mile  from  station. 

Railroad  sign  post  on  highway  crossing  one  mile  from  station. 

Telephone  post  on  center  of  east  line  of  sec.  19,  twp.  10  N.,  R.  11  E. 

Telephone  post  in  center  of  sec.  19,  twp.  10  N.,R.  11  E. 

Telephone  post  on  center  of  west  line  of  sec.  19,  twp.  10  N.,  R.  11  E. 

Telephone  post  on  center  of  west  line  of  N.  W.  qr.,  sec.  19,  twp.  10.  N.,  R.U  E. 

Fence  post  on  center  of  west  line  of  N.  E.  qr.  sec.  24,  Union  twp. 

Telephone  post  on  center  of  north  line  of  sec  24,  Union  twp. 

Telephone  post  on  center  of  south  line  oi  S.  W.  qr.  sec.  13,  Union  twp. 

South  end  of  east  rail  of  bridge  near  center  of  N.  W.  qr.  sec.  13,  Union  twp. 

Fence  post  in  center  of  N.  W.  qr.  sec.  13,  Union  twp. 

Telephone  post  in  center  of  S.  W.  qr.  sec.  12,  Union  twp. 

Telephone  post  in  center  of  sec.  12,  Union  twp. 

West  end  of  north  rail  of  bridge  on  center  of  north  line  of  S.  E.  qr.  sec.  12, 

Union  twp. 
Telephone  post  on  center  of  east  line  sec.  12,  Union  twp. 
S.  W.  corner  of  building  of  Goodhope  Univ.  church,  in  sec.  7,  twp.  10  N.,  R . 

11  E. 
Tree  stump  near  center  of  sec.  7,  twp.  10  N.,R.  11  E. 
Telephone  post  near  center  of  east  line  of  S.  E.  qr.  sec  7,  twp.  10  N.,  R .  11  E. 


100 


THE    PETROLEUM    INDTSTRY   OF   EASTERN    ILLINOIS. 


[BULL.    2 


V, 

O 

W 

o 

2? 

oo- 

B 

go 

94 

642.08 

644 

95 

649.42 

651 

96 

644.31 

646 

Location, 


Telephone  post  on  center  of  west  line  of  N.  "W  qr.  sec  18,  Casey  twp. 
Telephone  post  on  center  of  west  line  of  N.  E.  qr.  sec,  18,  Casey  twp. 
Telephone  post  on  center  of  east  line  of  N,  E,  qr.  sec.  18,  Casey  twp. 


South  of  Casey. 


97 

634.02 

636 

98 

627.64 

629 

99 

620.78 

622 

100 

618.80 

621 

101 

614,69 



102 

620.55 

622 

108 

623.99 

625 

104 

620.71 

622 

105 

606.61 

607 

106 

604.07 

606 

107 

598.83 

6C0 

108 

580,93 

580 

109 

595.48 

596 

110 

613.02 

614 

111 

606.47 

698 

112 

598.68 

600 

113 

590.13 

591 

114 

587.79 

589 

115 

585.82 

587 

116 

583.60 

584 

117 

522.11 

523 

Telephone  post  on  Jefferson  and  Vaspar  streets,  Casey 

Telephone  post  on  Jefferson  and  South  First  streets,  Casey 

Telephone  post  on  northeast  corner  of  Fairview  Park,  Casey 

Telephone  post  in  center  of  section  29,  Casey  twp 

South  end  of  east  rail  bridge  near  center  of  south  line  of  sec.  29,  Casey  twp.. 

Telephone  post  on  center  of  south  line  of  sec,  29,  Casey  twp 

Telephone  post  in  center  of  sec,  32,  Casey  twp 

Fence  post  on  center  of  south  line  of  sec.  32,  Casey  twp 

Telephone  post  in  center  of  sec,  5,  Johnson  twp 

Telephone  post  on  center  of  south  line  of  sec,  5,  Johnson  twp 

Telephone  post  on  northeast  corner  of  sec.  8,  Johnson  twp 

East  end  of  south  rail  of  bridge,  near  northeast  corner  of  sec,  8,  Johnson  twp. 

Telephone  post  on  center  of  north  line  of  sec,  9,  Johnson  twp 

Telephone  post  in  northeast  corner  of  sec.  9,  Johnson  twp 

Telephone  post  on  center  of  east  line  of  sec.  9,  Johnson  twp 

Telephone  post  in  southeast  corner  sec.  9,  Johnson  twp   

Telephone  post  on  center  of  north  line  of  N  E,  qr,  sec,  15.  Johnson  twp 

Fence  post  on  center  of  south  line  of  N ,  E.  qr.  sec,  15,  Johnson  twp 

S,  W,  corner  of  school  house  on  center  of  south  line  of  S.  E.  quarter  sec.  15, 

Johnson  twp 

Telephone  post  in  front  of  store,  Moriah 

On  bridge  timber  of  S.  E.  pier  of  Peters'  bridge  over  North  Fork  of  Embar- 

ras  river  in  N.  W.  qr.  sec.  28,  Johuson  twp 


QUALITY  AND  PROPERTIES  OF  ILLINOIS  CRUDE 
PETROLEUM. 

By  F.  F.  Grout. 

Three  samples  of  the  crude  petroleum  produced  in  Clark  and  Craw- 
ford counties  were  gathered  and  sent  to  the  chemical  laboratory  of 
the  Illinois  State  University,  for  testing.  No.  1  was  a  sandstone  oil 
secured  from  the  Weaver  lease  in  the  northwest  quarter  of  section  23, 
Johnson  township,  (T.  19  N.  R.  14  W.)  Clark  county;  No.  2  was  a 
limestone  oil  taken  from  the  Briscoe  lease,  operated  by  Bayliss  & 
Haskel,  in  the  southwest  quarter  of  section  29,  Parker  township, 
(T.  11  N.  R.  14  W.)  Clark  county;  No.  3  was  a  sandstone  oil  taken 
from  the  Birch  lease  in  the  northwest  quarter  of  section  14,  Oblong 
township,  (T.  6  R.  13  W.)  Crawford  county. 

The  crude  oil  as  it  comes  from  the  well  is  a  dark  olive  green  in  hue, 
its  specific  gravity  being  as  follows : 


Specific  Gravity. 

No.l.    Weaver 887 

No.  2.    Briscoe 873 

No.  3.    Birch .870 


GROUT.] 


ANALYSIS   OF   OIL, 


101 


Crude  Petroleum  No.  1. 

Sample  No.  1  was  obtained  from  the  Weaver  lease,  in  section  23, 
Johnson  township.  This  oil  had  been  standing  in  an  open  tank  some 
weeks  and  is  doubtless  therefore  of  a  higher  specific  quality  than 
when  first  pumped. 

The  original  oil  had  a  specific  gravity  of  .887.  It  flashed  and 
burned  at  60° C.  Five  hundred  cubic  centimeters  were  used  for  dis- 
tillation. The  heat  was  raised  slowly  till  the  first  drop  fell  from  the 
condenser,  and  was  then  regulated  so  as  to  distill  at  a  regular  rate  of 
about  two  drops  per  second.     The  first  drop  came  at  88° C. 


Distillate. 

Per  cent. 
Volume. 

Sp.  Gr.  at 
15.5°C. 

Baume. 

Flashed. 

Burned. 

Up  to  150°C 

4.4 
11.0 

9.1 
13.1 
.50.0 
12.4 

.745 
.773 
.813 
.844 
.863 

.58° 
51° 
42° 
36° 
32° 

Below 
51°C. 

.58° 
70° 

45° 

5°C. 

150  to  200°C 

25° 

200  to  250°C   

60° 

2.50  to  300°  C 

95° 

300  to  350°C 

76° 

Coke  (and  loss)..        ..        ..        



The  first  three  distillates  were  colorless  with  slight  opalescence. 
Color  began  to  distill  at  290°.  Bloom  of  fluorescence  began  to  be 
noticeable  about  that  time.  All  fractions  darkened  in  24  hours.  The 
first  tvv^o  distillates  had  a  good  sweet  oily  odor.  The  next  two  were 
very  strong  with  H^S,  after  standing  a  short  time;  and  the  last  frac- 
tion had  also  a  slight  odor.  The  last  fraction  was  brownish-red  to 
green  fluorescent.  The  oil  seemed  to  "crack"  readily  and  completely, 
yielding  coke  and  oil  which  distilled  at  about  325°  C.  If  the  process 
was  stopped  before  completion,  the  residuum  was  a  black  pitch  of 
varying  degrees  of  hardness  depending  upon  the  degree  of  distilla- 
tion. When  80  per  cent  (by  volume)  of  the  oil  had  been  distilled  the 
fraction  above  300°  had  a  specific  gravity  of  .860,  and  flashed  at  47°C. 
The  residuum  was  a  little  too  soft  and  sticky  to  be  chewed  in  the 
mouth.  After  about  3  per  cent  further  distillation  there  was  left  a 
good  firm  residuum ;  4  per  cent  more  left  coke.  The  last  7  per  cent 
of  oil  to  be  distilled  had  a  specific  gravity  of  .878,  and  flashed  at  43°. 
The  cold  test  was  10°C. 

The  low  flash  test  of  the  fifth  fraction  is  further  proof  of  the 
"cracking."  100  cubic  centimeters  of  this  was  redistilled  in  part  to 
see  if  the  flash  test  could  be  improved.  After  15  per  cent  was  dis- 
tilled the  remainder  flashed  at  150° C.  The  sulphur  in  the  original 
oil  was  0.13  per  cent. 

Crude  Petroleum  No.  2. 

This  sample  was  taken  from  the  Briscoe  lease  operated  by  Bayliss 
and  Haskel,  in  the  southwest  quarter  of  section  29,  Parker  township, 
in  Clark  county. 


102 


THE   PETROLEUM    INDUSTRY   OF   EASTERN    ILLINOIS. 


[BULL.    2 


The  original  oil  had  a  specific  gravity  of  .873.  It  flashed  and 
burned  at  38 °C.  It  was  tested  in  the  same  manner  as  No.  1, 
to  which  it  was  very  similar,  but  was  a  little  lighter.  On  distillation 
the  first  drop  came  at  53°C. 


Distillate. 

Per  cent. 
Volume. 

Sp.  G.  at 
15.5°C. 

Baume. 

Flashed. 

Burned. 

Uptol50°C 

8.6 
10.6 
10.7 
13.5 

48.0 
8.6 

.741 
.779 
.814 
.841 
.853 

59° 
50° 
42° 
36° 

34° 

Below 
12°C. 

50° 

74° 
37° 

5°C. 

150  to  200°C 

20° 

200  to  250°C 

60° 

250  to  300°C 

107° 

300  to  350°C 

45° 

Coke  (and  loss) 

The  distillates  were  of  the  same  kind  as  came  from  sample  No.  1. 

When  84  per  cent  (by  volume)  was  distilled,  the  (tar)  residuum 
was  soft  and  sticky  at  ordinary  temperatures.  When  87  per  cent  was 
removed,  it  was  hard  and  could  be  chewed  in  the  mouth.  These 
asphalt-like  residues  were  quite  odorless  and  nearly  tasteless. 

The  flash  test  of  the  fifth  distillate  could  be  raised,  as  before,  by 
distilling  off  about  15  per  cent  of  the  lighter  oils  which  evidently  re- 
sulted from  "cracking"  during  the  first  distillation. 

The  amount  of  sulphur  in  the  original  oil  equals  0.73  per  cent. 

Crude  Petroleum,  No.  3. 

Sample  No.  3  came  from  the  Birch  lease  in  the  northwest  quarter 
of  section  14,  Oblong  township,  Crawford  county. 

The  original  oil  had  a  specific  gravity  of  .870.  It  flashed  at  43° 
and  burned  at  60°C.  It  was  much  like  samples  1  and  2.  The  first 
drop  of  distillate  came  at  60° C. 


Distillate. 

Percent. 
Volume. 

Sp.  G.  at 
15.5°C. 

Baume. 

Flashed. 

Burned. 

Up  to  150°C. 

3.5 
12.0 
14.2 
10.6 
50.2 

9.5 

.749 
.775 
.809 
.837 
.849 

57° 
51° 
43° 
37° 
35° 

Below 

5°C. 

150  to  200°C 

22° 

200  to  250°C. 

52°C. 
80° 

27° 

70° 

250to300°C 

92° 

200  up 

45° 

Coke  (and  loss) 

At  a  temperature  of  about  90° C.  the  oil  crackled  and  sputtered,  and 
when  the  first  distillate  was  examined  it  was  found  to  be  in  two 
layers.  Evidently  a  little  water  caused  the  trouble.  The  lower  layer 
amounted  to  about  0.5  per  cent  of  the  original  oil. 

There  was  no  odor  of  H2  S,  either  during  the  distillation  or  after 
the  distillates  had  stood  twenty-four  hours  in  a  closed  flask. 

Sulphur  to  the  amount  of  0.10  per  cent  was  found  in  the  original 
oil. 

The  examination  of  oils  for  the  purpose  of  identifying  their  com- 
position has  not  been  carried  far  enough   to  warrant  any  extended 


GROUT] 


103 


conclusions.  It  can  be  said,  however,  that  they  are  chiefly  made  up 
of  members  of  the  paraffine  series,  and  of  the  lighter  members  of  that 
group.     Paraffine  proper  is  not  of  that  group. 

Cracking  begins  at  800°C.  and,  with  the  exception  of  the  "Birch" 
oil,  the  sulphur  content  is  high,  allying  them  in  that  respect  with 
the  sulphur  oils  of  Ohio. 

Sparta  Crude. 

A  sample  collected  June  9,  1906,  from  a  can  in  Mr.  Preston's  barn 
gave  the  following  results.  It  was  said  to  be  just  as  taken  from  the 
well,  but  since  it  had  stood  for  some  time,  may  be  somewhat  heavier 
than  when  fresh.  It  is  reported  to  grade  38°  Baume  when  first 
pumped.  The  specific  gravity  of  original  oil  was  .842,  corresponding 
to  36°  Baume.     It  flashed  at  18°0,  and  burned  at  22°C. 


Distillate. 

Volume— 
percent. 

Sp.  Gr. 

Flashed. 

Burned. 

Uptol50°C 

14 
14 
11 
12 

42 

7 

.729 
.767 
.801 
.829 
.850 

150°-200°  

20°  C 

46° 
92° 
28° 

20°C 

200°-250°  .... 

64° 

25O°-3O0° 

112° 

300°  up        

42° 

Coke  and  loss 

No  odor  of  H,S  was  observed  at  any  time.  The  oil  seems  to  be 
much  like  the  other  oils  tested  from  this  State,  but  has  a  little  larger 
percentage  of  the  light  oils. 


Litchfield  Crude. 

This  sample  was  taken  from  a  barrel  in  the  stock  of  Mr.  David  Davis. 
It  had  been  several  months  out  of  the  ground  and  probably  had  suf- 
fered from  evaporation.  The  specific  gravity  as  determined  by  J.  W. 
Gill  was  .9236.     The  first  drop  distilled  at  110° C. 


Distillate. 

Volume 
per  cent. 

Sp.  Gr. 

Baume. 

Flashed. 

Burned. 

Uptol50°C 

1.2) 
15.2 
71.1 
10.7 

Too  little  to  test. 
Much  like  the  other  oil. 

150°  to  200° 

200°  to  250° 

250°  to  300° 

.852 
.863 

34° 
32° 

79°C 

37° 

""i66°c"" 

57° 

.300°  up . 

Coke  and  loss 

No  odor  of  H^S  was  detected.     A  considerable  amount  of  the  first 
fraction  is  apparently  water;  probably  0.5  per  cent  of  the  total  oil. 


INDEX. 


105 


INDEX. 


A  Page 

Abbott  and  Newland  well 71 

Analyses  of  Illinois  petroleum 100 

Anchor  and  Seybert  leases 67 

Annapolis,  wells  near 63, 65 

Anticlinal  areas  in  Illinois 21 

Anticlinal  structure  and  oil  accumula- 
tion    28 

Anticline  near  Pittsfleld 81 

Athey,  Emily,  farm,  well  on 63 

W.  F.,  farm,  wells  on..  „ 63 

Atlas,  rocks  near 80 

Anbury,  elevation  of 34 

Austin,  Thomas,  gas  well 84 

B 

Bain,  H.  F.,  cited 22 

Bain  bridge,  drilling  near 73 

Baldwin  lease 70,71 

Barbee,  J.  I.,  farm,  oil  wells  on 47 

Barlow  farm,  wells  on 39 

Barnsdale  company,  leases  of 41 

Barnsdale,  T.  N.,  leases  of 49,53 

Barrett  lease 65 

Barry,  elevation  of 77 

Barton,  wells  near 72 

Bartow,  Edward ,  work  by 10 

Baughman,  D.,  lease 51 

Bayliss,  elevation  of 77 

Bayliss  and  Haskell  lease 45 

Bean,  V.,  well  on 50 

Bench  marks 98 

Bennett,  J.,  lease 40,51 

Biglow,  A.,  lease 42 

Birch  farm,  wells  on 70 

analysis  of  oil  from 100 

Blakeman,  C.  M.,  farm,  gas  wells  on. ..  52 

Blatchley,  W.  S.,  work  by 9,10 

Bluelsland,  oil  at 13 

Boa,  A.,  lease 69 

Bridgeport,  gas  near 72 

Briggs,  W.  L. ,  farm,  oil  wells  on 42 

Briscoe  lease 13,45 

analysis  of  oil  from 100 

Briscoe,  M.  L.,  lease 41 

Brown  lease 47, 68 

Burkhart  gas  well 74 

Burlington  limestone  in  Pike  county. ..  77 

Burns  lease 40 


C  Page 

Cain ,  A .,  lease 65 

Calhoun  county,  deformation  in 22 

Capau  Gres  fault 22,88 

Carboniferous  rocks  in  Illinois 19, 22 

Carpenter  farm,  wells  on 58 

Carter,  L.  D.,  development  by 38 

Casey,  bench  marks  near 98 

dry  holes  near 31 

elevation  of 34 

oil  and  gas  at 13. 15 

oil  sands  at 35 

oil  wells  near 38 

township,  oil  wells  in 47 

Champaign ,  prospecting  at 13 

Charleston,  bench  marks  near 98 

oil  wells  near 73 

Chester  formation,  gas  in 15 

oil  in 64 

Chysler  lease 56 

Clark  county,  Carboniferous  rocks  of . . .  19 

dry  holes  in 31 

geology  of 33 

oil  and  gas  in 13,15 

oil  sands  in 27 

oil  wells  in 38 

Clay  county,  oil  in 73 

Coal  in  Cumberland  county 55, 58 

Dolson  township 40 

Lawrence  county 72 

near  Oilfield 45 

Coal  Measures,  gas  in 15 

in  Clark  county 34 

in  Crawford  county 61,64 

in  Pike  county 78 

Lower  or  Productive 16, 17, 18 

porous  beds  in 26 

Upper  or  Barren 16,19 

Cochran  and  Funk,  leases  of 51 

Coles  county,  oil  wells  in, 73 

Condemned  territory 31 

Conglomerate  sandstone 16 

Contents 5 

Cornell  lease 69 

Corniferous  formation,  oil  in 28, 33 

Corn  well  lease 39 

Cost  of,  operating 94 

tanks 93 

wells 94 


106 


INDEX. 


Q— Concluded.  Page 

Cox  farm,  wells  on 64 

Crawford  county,  geology  of 60 

oil  wells  in 14,15,63 

Crooked  Creek  township,  oil  wells  in . .  60 

Crouch,  M.,  farm,  oil  wells  on 50 

Cumberland  county,  geology  of 54 

oil  in 15, 54 

D 

Daugherty,  N.  F.,  farm,  oil  wells  on. ..  43 

Davis,  Capt. ,  gas  well 85 

David,  acknowledgment  to 75, 103 

Deformation  in  Pike  county 80 

Deihl  lease 48 

Demin,  J.  W.,  well 72 

Dennison,  elevation  of 34 

Description  of  oil  fields 33 

Detrow  farm,  production  of 42 

Devonian  in  Hardin  county 22 

oil  in 13 

Dickinson  lease 66 

Digby.  Loren,  work  by 10 

Dolson  township,  oil  wells  in 40 

Doss,  C.  H.,  gas  well 86 

Dorcey,  John,  gas  well 85 

Drilling  methods 91 

rig 90 

Dry  holes 31 

Dunn  lease 57 

E 

Eastern  Interior  coal  field 16 

Edgar  county,  wells  in 72 

Elliot,  C,  farm,  oil  sand  on 48 

wells  on 39 

Endsley  lease 41 

Emrich  lease 49, 55 

F 

Fake  oil  companies 96 

Farrington,  elevation  of 34 

Fuller  lease 41 

Fuqua  lease 49 

G 

Galatia,  prospecting  near 74 

Gas  at  Casey 38 

at  Litchfield 13,75 

at  Pittsfield 77 

at  Sparta 15,74 

in  Crawford  county 14, 60 

in  Saline  county 73 

rock,  character  of 82 

well  on  J.  Rush  farm 49 

wells  in  Johnson  township 52 

General  section  of  Illinois  Coal  Meas- 
ures   —  19 

of  Clark  county  rocks 34 

Geologic  structure  of  the  vState 21 


G— Concluded.  Page 

Geology  of  Clark  county 33 

Crawford  county 60 

Pike  county 77 

Gill,  J.  W.,  analyses  by 73,77,103 

work  by 10 

Goodwin  lease 60 

Gossett  farm,  wells  on 59 

Grand  Detour  anticline 21 

Green  lease 52 

Greenup,  elevation  of 54 

wells  near 59, 60 

Griggsville,  elevation  of 77 

Grout,  F.  F.  Analyses  by 45, 58, 100 

Oil  and  gas  in  Randolph  county 74 

Oil  and  gas  in  Saline  county 73 

Work  by 10 

H 

Haney ,  Joseph,  gas  well 85 

Hanley  ford,  wells  near 73 

Hardin  county,  deformation  in 22 

Harris,  Joseph,  farm,  well  on 73 

Harshman,Clel,gas  well 84 

Noah,  gas  well 84 

Haworth  lease 57 

Hazel  Dell,  wells  near 60 

Heach,  well 44 

Heflfman,  John, gas  well 74 

Helm,  J.  H., gas  well 85 

Hidalgo,  wells  near 60 

Higgins  and  Strauss,  gas  well 85 

Hill,  CM.,  lease 64 

Hill,  H.M., lease 65 

History  of  oil  development 13 

Hoblitzell  &  Son ,  development  by 38 

Hollis  lease 44 

Hopkins,  B.B., gas  well 87 

Houghton  lease 40 

Hubbard.C.  H.,recordby 50 

Hughes  and  Finley  leases 68 

Hull,  elevation  of 77 

Hunt  theory  of  oil  genesis 23 

Huron  limestone  in  Crawford  county  . .  64 

Hutton  township,  wells  in 73 

I 

Illinois  oil  and  gasfield 15 

Illustrations, list  of 7 

Imboden  farm,  wells  on 70, 71 

Impervious  cover  over  oil  pools 27 

lola,  oil  near 73 

Irich,  Andrew, gas  well 82 

Jacob,  gas  well 82, 83, 84 

Jesse, gas  well 83 

William, gas  well 82,83 


Jackson  county, (Iowa)  deformation  in.       21 

James  lease 39 

Jamison,  W.  W.,  leases  of 51 


INDEX. 


107 


3— Concluded. 


Page 


Jasper  county  (Illinois)  wells  in 73 

(Indiana)  oil  in 28,33 

JeflFries  farm,  oil  wells  on 44 

Jennings  Bros.,  leases  of 55 

Jewett,  elevation  of 54 

Joe's  Fork,  section  on 36 

Johnson  farm ,  oil  wells  on 48, 53 

Township,  oil  wells  in 50 

Jones,  C.  S.,  record  by 62 

farm ,  oil  on 14, 62 

Joseph  farm,  wells  on 65 


K 

Kansas,  wells  near 

Kelley,  Nye,  lease 

Kenire,  R .,  farm,  wells  on 

Keokuk  limestone  in  Pike  county 

Kimlin  lease 

Ki*derhook,  elevation  of 

limestone  in  Pike  county 

Kinney,  B.  A.,  gas  measurements  by.. 
Kite  lease 


Lackey,  J.  H.,  farm,  wells  on 

Wm.,  lease 

Lamotte  township,  wells  in 

Lancet  farm,  wells  on 

Lane,  A.,  farm,  wells  on 

Larue  lease 

LaSalle  anticline 

LaSalle  county.  Lower  Magnesian  in.. 

oil  in 

St.  Peter  sandstone  in 

Lathrop  well 

Lawrence  county,  wells-  in 

Leases  for  oil 

Lee,  A.,  farm,  oil  wells  on 

Chas.,  lease 

farm,  oil  wells  on 

farm,  salt  water  from 

Ross  farm,  oil  wells  on 

Leggett,  S.  S.,  farm,  wells  on 

Letter  of  transmittal 

Level  lines 

Lewis,  A.  W.,  work  by 

9,34,40,43  47,48,49,51,53, 

Capt.,  farm,  wells  on 

Litchfield,  analysis  of  oil  from 

oil  and  gas  wells 13, 

Livingston,  section  near 

Lloyd,  W.  S.,gas  well 

Locating  oil  wells 

Lowell,  oil  at 

Lower  Coal  Measures,  oil  in 

Livingston  limestone 

Magnesian  limestone 

Lyons  farm,  wells  on 


70 
65 
58 
52 
49,57 
21 
21 
13 
21 
77 
72 
88 
46 
42 
41 
30 
46 
73 
9 
97 

58,66 

72 

103 

14,75 
37 
84 
90 
13 
13 
36 
21 
64 


M  Page 

Mann  lease 70 

Mansfield  sandstone 16,64 

Marketing  oil 95 

Marshall,  elevation  of 34 

Junction,  elevation  of 34 

Marton,  Chas. ,  lease 71 

Martinsville,  elevation  of 34 

gas  well  near 53 

geology  near 38 

township,  oil  wells  in 49 

Matthias,  S.,  well 72 

McDonald,  J.  N.,  acknowledgements  to       96 

McSorley,  John,  gas  well 84 

Mary,  gas  well 83 

Miller  farm,  wells  on 59 

Mink,  George,  records  by 83,84,85 

G.  M.,on  thickness  of  gas  rock 83 

Mink.  Jerry,  gas  well 83 

Minnetonka  Oil  Co. ,  leases 67 

Misfiissippian  limestone  in  Pike  county       78 

Mitchell  lease 70 

Montgomery  county ,  oil  and  gas  in 13, 75 

Morgan ,  E.  W.,  farm,  oil  well  on 73 

Murphy  farm,  oil  wells  on 44 

N 

Nash,  J., farm,  wells  on 53 

Michael, gas  well 85 

Nebo,  elevation  of 77 

Need  of  accurate  levels 97 

Neoga,  elevation  of 54 

Newberry  theory  of  oil  genesis 23 

New  Canton,  elevation  of 77 

New  Haven, rocks  at 19 

New  Hope,  gas  near 74 

Newhn  lease 41,53,64,69 

New  Salem,  elevation  of 77 

Niagara  limestone,  gas  in 82 

in  Pike  county 79 

Nickles,  J.  M.,  cited 15 

O 

Oakland,  wells  near 73 

Oblong,  oil  and  gas  at 15,67 

township,  oil  wells  in 67 

Occurrence  of  Illinois  petroleum 25 

O'Connell,  Maggie,  gas  well 84 

O'Donnell,  A.  M.,  cited 42 

Ogle  county,  deformation  in 21 

Ohio  Oil  Co.,  leases  of 41,43,55,59,64 

Oilfield,  oil  at 13,38 

Oil  pools 26, 31 

Oil  sands,  character  of 39, 40, 45, 47, 48, 50, 58 

in  Clark  county 35,39 

near  Westfield 39 

Origin,  oil  and  gas 23 

Output  of  Casey  field 95 

Overton,  Wm.,  farm,  coal  on 74 

gas  on 74 


108 


INDEXf 


P  Page 

Palestine,  wells  near 66 

Palestine  Development  Co.,  work  of 66 

Palestine  Landing,  rocks  near 61 

Parker  township,  wells  in 38, 40 

Parr,  S.  W.,  work  by 10 

Patton  farm,  wells  on 66 

Pearl,  elevation  of 77 

Pepple.  Josiah,  well 72 

Petroleum,  condition  of  accumulation..  26 

definition 11 

distribution 11, 25 

grades 11 

producing  rocks  in  Illinois 16 

production 11,95 

uses 12 

Phillips,  J.  S.,  farm,  wells  on 38 

Pike  county,  deformation  in 80 

elevation  of 77 

gas  field 77,87 

geology  of *      77 

Pittsfield,  elevation  of 77 

gas  wells  near 80, 86 

Pipe  lines 95 

Pleasant  Hill,  rocks  near 80 

Pleistocene  deposits 20,33,54,61,78 

Pope  county,  deformation  in 22 

Porous  strata  as  oil  reservoirs 26 

Pottsville  conglomerate 16 

Prairie  township,  oil  wells  in 63 

Pressure  behind  oil 29 

Preston  oil  well 74 

analysis  of  oil  from 103 

Price  farm,  gas  wells  on 67 

Princeton  (Indiana)  oil  field 33 

Pinnell,  J.  E.,  farm,  coal  on 73 

Production  of  oil  at  Litchfield 14 

Production  of  Casey  field 95 

Cox  &  Lyons  wells 64 

Detrow  farm 42 

Illinois 88 

Lee  farm 42 

Siggins  pool 55 

Properties  of  Illinois  petroleum 100 

Pully  Bros., farm,  oil  on 74 

Pumping  oil 93 

Q 

Quality  of  Illinois  petroleum 100 

Quantity  of  petroleum  per  acre 30 

Quarry  Creek  fimestone 36,47,57 

Queen  farm,  wells  on 58 

Quincy  Junction ,  elevation  of 77 

R 

Railways  in  Clark  county 34 

Cumberland  county 54 

Pike  county 77 

Randolph  county,  gas  and  oil  in 15, 74 

Reed,  John,  gas  well 83 

Reeds,  A.  B.,  farm,  oil  wells  on 43 

Reinbolt  farm,  wells  on 55 


R — Concluded.  Page 

Richie  farm,  wells  on 66 

Rigs  for  drilling 90 

Riker  farm,  wells  on 70 

Robinson,  gas  wells  near 14, 67 

rocks  near 60 

township,  wells  in 67 

Rockport,  elevation  of 77 

rocks  neir 80 

Rowe,  M.  C,  farm,  oil  wells  on 49 

Royalties  for  oil 88 

Rush,  J.,  farm,  gas  wells  on 46 

S 

St.  Clair  county,  deformation  in 22 

St.  Louis  limestone  in  Pike  county 78 

St.  Peter  sandstone 21,22 

Saline  county,  oil  and  gas  in 73 

Saltwater,  analysis  of 30 

in  Clark  county »,  93 

Savage,  T.  E.,  on  Pike  county  gas  field  77 

Savage,  T.  E.,  work  by 10 

Savanna,  structural  deformation 21 

Scheflow,  E.  M.,  work  by 10,98 

Schuyler  farm,  wells  on 55 

Seehorn ,  elevation  of 77 

Siggins  pool 49, 54 

Shire  well ,.. 68 

Shooting  oil  wells 91 

Sloan  lease 48 

Small,  John,  farm,  wells  on 73 

Smith  lease 49 

Smith,  Mary  J.,  gas  well 84 

Sparta,  analysis  of  oil  from 103 

gas  and  oil  near 15, 74 

Spelbrig  lease 42 

Standard  Oil  Co., acknowledgements  to  96 

Standfield  lease 65 

State  Water  Survey,  analysis  by 30 

Statter,  J.  W.,  farm,  gas  wells  on 50 

Stewart  lease 51 

Stephenson  county,  deformation  in  .. ..  21 

Stephenson,  W.  J.,  well 72 

Stone  Fort,  oil  near 74 

Stoy ,  loading  rack 96 

wells  near 68 

Strout,  elevation  of 77 

Surface  deposits  (see  Pleistocene) 

indications  of  oil 32 

T 

Taylor,  J.  H.,  well 70 

Terre  Haute,  gas  from 53 

Terrell,  I.  N.,  farm,  wells  on 44 

Thomas  lease 60 

Toledo,  elevation  of 54 

Trenton  li  mestone  in  Indiana 27 

Trilla,  wells  near 73 

Trimblelease  66 

Troy,  Albert,  gas  well 83 

Turner  farm,  oil  wells  on 48 

Tuscola  deep  well 21 


INDEX. 


109 


u 

Ulrich,  E.  O.,  cited 22 

Umstott,  lease 65 

Union  Center,  wells  near 59 

Union  township,  oil  wells  in 54 

V 

Vevay  Park,  elevation  of 54 

W 

Wackerman,  F.  P.,  gas  well 84 

Wakefield  well 70 

Walkerwell 70 

Wallen,  J.  H.,  leases  of 73 

Wallers  lease 67 

Walshville,  drilling-  near 76 

Weaver  lease,  analysis  of  oil  from 100 

Weaver  lease 51 

Weirich,  Wm.,  lease 67 

Weller,  Stuart,  on    Geologic  Structure 

of  the  State 21 

work  of 10 

West,  Benjamin,  gas  well 85 

Westfield,  bench  marks  near 98 


^N— Concluded.  Page 

Westfield,  oil  at 13,15,39,72 

oil  sands 35 

salt  water  near 30 

township,  wells  in 39 

White  county,  rocks  of 19 

lease,  wells  on 39 

Wild-catting 88 

Williams  farm,  oil  on 13 

Williamson  county,  drilling  in 73 

Willow  Hill,  drilling  near 73 

Wills,  A.  v.,  gaswell 86 

W.R.,  gas  well 86 

Wilsev,  Chas.  L.,  gas  well 85 

Riley,  gas  well 87 

Winans,  I.  N.,  gas  well 84 

Wood,  N.,  lease 55 

Woodbury,  elevation  of 54 

Worthen,  A.  H.,  cited,  19,21,34,36,62,77,80,86 


Y 

Yaneway  farm,  wells  on 55 

York  farm,  wells  on 68 

Youngfarm,  wells  on 13.43 

Young,  T,  R.,  oil  well 13 


